Flying Away
by Bespectacled-Girl
Summary: Lyne wishes she could escape her boring, unsatisfactory life. When she finds herself dragged into the wonderful but dangerous world of Eos to travel with Prince Noctis and his companions, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. This is a story about living amazing adventures, about meeting wonderful friends, but above all, this is a story about finding who she really
1. chapter 1

Chapter 1

The day her life changed began like any other day for Lyne. Her alarm clock went off at 7, she got out of bed, and started to get ready for work. Like any other day, her soon to be ex-husband had pestered her as soon as he saw her in the bathroom they still shared. He knew things were complicated between them, since they didn't even sleep in the same room any more, but that didn't stop him from acting like everything was fine. Ignoring problems was his way of dealing with them, and Lyne was having no more of that. One thing was clear as can be between them though: after twelve years of being together, love was gone for good from this house. Since they worked together and had a house together, they still had to share more than they wanted to. For Lyne, this situation couldn't last, and she would be leaving him as soon as the house was sold, but for now, she was surviving as best as she could.

Like any other day, she had dragged herself to the office where they worked, and had started on her daily tasks. At home, her beloved dog, Blacky, a cute Shetland Sheepdog of 7 years, always managed to cheer her up and drag her from her despair. At work it was an entirely different matter, as she had to pretend everything was fine with her workmates, so that her personal life wouldn't affect her job as a secretary. Not that she intended to keep said job when she left for good, but right now the last thing she needed was more drama in her life.

It was a bright sunny day outside, and even though that spring day cheered her up a little, she still felt trapped within that life. "What would I give to start things over and get a new life", she thought, longingly gazing at the birds flying idly outside her window.

She was standing in front of the filing cabinet, putting order in her files. The cabinet was so full that she had to put her wedding ring off when she dealt with this particular task, lest she scratch her hands repeatedly. That was probably why she loved it so much: without this stupid ring, she felt free, for once.

She had her headphones on, as usual, since music helped her a great deal to give her the energy she was usually lacking. Michael Jackson was singing his famous 'Thriller', and she was dancing a little bit -some habit she had gotten into after having lost more than forty pounds: if she could find anything good in her situation, it was this: she had never felt that good in her body. Her long ponytail was swinging in step with the music, and she was almost feeling good. She decided that she would hit the gym after work, that could only be good for her mood, she thought. She felt like having a cup of tea, and was considering which flavour she would chose among the different boxes her drawer contained, when it happened.

First, her vision started to get blurry. Her first thought was that she must have eaten too little that morning, and the fact that the music in her ears had started to fade away did nothing to refute her assumption. But what should have come next never came. She never lost consciousness, never felt her body hit the floor of her little office. Through the buzzing in her ears, she thought she heard someone calling out to her. "Help us, the voice said, lend me your Power and come to our aid". Her surroundings disappeared, and she found herself staring into a void of darkness. She started to fall, but never hit anything. It felt like ages, though it must have been only seconds. Then her feet hit something solid, and her eyesight came back to her.

When she could see again, the scene unravelling in front of her was too much for her brain to deal with.

It was raining heavily, and dark clouds were hovering over the scene below. She was surrounded by trees, but in the clearing stood what looked like a former factory of some sort, completely in ruins. Four young men were lying on the ground, two of them looking unconscious. Though the blonde guy with unkempt hair looked frail enough, the fact that the bull of a man next to him was also knocked out was worth noticing. To her right, a slim man with dark blonde hair and his spectacles slightly askew on his nose was looking at her with turquoise eyes, unmoving, his head on the ground. The man facing her had unruly raven hair and was the only one not lying on the ground yet. Kneeling, he directed his blue haunting gaze directly at her. Although he seemed positively surprised to see Lyne here, he didn't hesitate more than half a heartbeat, and called out to her: "Please, help us…". He was losing consciousness too. His head hit the ground, and Lyne found herself quite alone.

That was at that moment that she noticed the beast that was facing her and the young men. It was the angry roar coming from it that brought her to her senses, and a small part of her mind still found the time to wonder how come it hadn't been the first thing she noticed in that strange place. At first it looked like a feline of some sort, but not your average big cat. That thing must be at least fifteen feet high, and probably thirty feet long, without the spiked tail that is. It had a crest on its back, and two huge horns sprouting from its head. Well, what must have been two huge horns, as the right one was broken nearly at the base. The thing was dark purple, and had an impressive grey mane. Its right eye was dead, but the left one was enough to convey how much that thing loved killing. And right now, that eye was looking right at Lyne. The beast was clawing at the ground with its huge paw, preparing to attack the newcomer.

She could have gone crazy at the sight of this beast getting ready to rip her apart. And certainly, some part of her mind was giggling uncontrollably. But some force had already started to take control of her body, and even though she saw what happened, later on Lyne would be positively sure that it wasn't her who did these things that first time.

She bent over the man with the glasses, taking one of the daggers he was still holding. She heard herself say "I'll borrow this for a sec if you don't mind". Above her, thunder had begun to roll. The thing controlling her body made her stretch her free arm towards the sky, and the hand holding the man's dagger pointed directly at the beast's heart -trapped inside her body, Lyne wondered "is this even where that thing's heart's supposed to be?". Suddenly, lightning stroke her. The bolt went through her outstretched palm, energy filling all the fibers in her body to come out of the dagger and strike the beast. The conscious part of Lyne was overwhelmed with emotions: pure terror, empowerment, exhilaration, exhaustion. She had no idea what was happening, but the thing that controlled her body helped her feel safe, as if it was protecting her. Before she got time to dwell on her feelings however, the beast roared one last time, and as lightning reached its heart under the thickness of its skin, fell to her feet, dead.

Lyne felt the presence inside her recede, and as she gained control over her own body once more, the part of her mind who was petrified with fear started to take over. She was in a completely unknown place, with strangers, had no idea how she'd gotten here, or what had just happened. Remotely, she heard the young men getting to their feet, as the world vanished once again into oblivion. This time she was falling to the ground, and as a pair of strong arms got hold of her before she would hurt herself, she heard a cheerful voice say "Whoohoohoo we're alive! Let's celebrate by eating something dead!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

They had put her in the tent, making her comfortable as she laid unconscious. As the best healer of the group, Ignis naturally volunteered to watch over her until she woke up. He had tried to read a book while waiting for her to regain consciousness, but he didn't seem to be able to concentrate, and found himself several times staring at the stranger. The brunette had long hair, pale skin, a cute round nose, and an air of sadness that clung to her even through sleep. He already knew that her bright blue eyes held a haunted and frightened look, that was the first thing he'd noticed when she'd bent over him to take one of his daggers as he was pinned to the ground. He couldn't help wondering what could have brought such despair to someone like her. He wasn't entirely sure why, but Ignis felt the urge to protect this woman from whatever made her feel that way. She didn't look like she was used to smiling, but he thought her smile must look gorgeous, and caught himself wanting her to smile for him. Was it because she had saved them all? Yes, it probably was the reason why. After all, even though they didn't know for sure how she'd come to them, without her intervention Noctis' quest would have met a premature end. Ignis felt incredibly guilty for not having seen that Deadeye was too much of a threat for them. It was his job as a strategist and royal advisor, and he had failed miserably. If not for the woman laying unconscious on the floor of the tent, they would all be dead.

He heard Prompto cry out in distress outside: he was probably losing at King's Night. Again. The young woman must have heard the blonde guy, because she started to stir. She fluttered her eyes open, looking peaceful and rested, when suddenly realization of her surroundings seemed to hit her. She gasped, and sat up quickly. Too quickly, by the way she paled even more, looking as if she was going to faint again. She threw frantic glances all around her, not understanding where she was.

"Please, calm down, Miss. You're safe here, the creature's dead".

She hadn't noticed Ignis at first, but the moment he spoke her gaze locked with his. He could see in her eyes she started to remember him, remember what had happened. She was breathing heavily, but the young man's calm demeanour seemed to soothe her. She didn't speak, but her breathing finally evened out. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she had regained her composure.

"Sorry, she said. I was just… surprised."

"No need to apologise, miss…?"

"Lyne."

"Pleased to meet you, Lyne. My name is Ignis Scientia. How are you feeling?"

"Good… I suppose." She didn't look too sure of that though, given the way her fine eyebrows furrowed.

"Do you have any idea how you happened to find yourself in the middle of our fight with Deadeye?"

"What's Deadeye?"

"The behemoth you slew."

"The what?" She seemed completely at a loss as to what he was talking about. For a moment Ignis thought she'd hit her head harder than he'd realised at first, but then another idea crossed his mind.

"Are… you from Eos or do you come from some other place?"

"Well, since I have no idea what Eos is, I'd say I'm from somewhere else ? I come from, uh, planet Earth? A country named England."

The name didn't ring a bell for Ignis.

"So, you mean you have never heard of Eos, or the kingdom of Lucis?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

To be honest, the young man was only half surprised. He had often heard scholars talk about other worlds and of the possibility to reach them, but had never thought much of it. Until that day. He wasn't sure what Noctis had done, but it was obvious he had summoned her from somewhere. A power nobody knew the line of Lucis had. For now though, that meant a lot of catching up to do, to explain to Lyne exactly what their world was.

"If you are feeling well enough to stand, why don't you join us outside, and my companions and I will fill you in as best as we can."

"Sure".

Once she had retrieved her shoes and jacket, Ignis helped her to stand and led her outside to the campfire, where the others were waiting.

Lyne was not very steady on her legs after the events of the day – there was also the fact that her last meal had been the day before, but she was used to that – so she felt grateful for Ignis' arm. He led her to a chair outside, and she felt very self-conscious while she seated herself, three pairs of eyes directed right at her. She'd always been a very shy person, and usually needed time to adjust to other people's presence, so she didn't exactly felt at ease, but she supposed it couldn't be helped. She didn't know who frightened her the most though: the huge man with his dark hair, scarred face and hazel eyes who looked like he might crush her with a mere hug, or the sulky raven-haired guy who'd asked for her help earlier but looked like he was going to tell her to fuck off right now. At least the blonde guy with the unkempt hair and blue eyes seemed friendly, and he was smiling broadly at her. Instead of staying with her, Ignis walked to the camping stove that was set up slightly apart from the fire. She couldn't tell why, but his presence felt reassuring. She wanted him to stay at her side while she faced the others' gaze, but she couldn't ask that aloud. Instead, she forced herself to look the three guys in the eye, and decided to give a try at talking.

"Hum… Hi?"

It seemed it was all the blonde guy had needed to start talking.

"Hi, I'm Prompto! This is Noctis here, and the big guy's named Gladio. What's your name?"

Lyne introduced herself, and the atmosphere started to lighten a little bit. As if they had expected her to act different. Maybe they were as frightened of her as she was frightened of them? After all, she still didn't know what had happened earlier and how she'd managed to wield lightning like that.

"It is just as we surmised. Lyne doesn't come from our world."

Lyne jumped. She hadn't heard Ignis come closer. She turned toward him a little, and noticed that he was standing just behind her, his gloved hands holding the back of her chair. It wasn't that the others posed a threat to her, but Ignis' calm and composed manners soothed her. As much as the others intimidated her, she was really curious as to where she was, so she figured she might as well force herself and be social.

"So, what is this place anyway?" She asked, looking at the most friendly of them, aka Prompto. The young men looked at each other in turns, wondering where to begin. Then Noctis, the blackhaired sulky guy, opened his mouth for the first time since she'd woken up.

"Well…"

Ignis had prepared one of the most delicious meals she had ever eaten. She wasn't particularly fond of gourmet food, and as she generally lacked the apetite, eating was just about getting something in her stomach so as not to faint, most of the time. But with the young men telling stories of their world, she felt good for the first time in ages, and she had emptied her plate without even paying attention. Since the guys had only four chairs, Ignis was sitting next to her on the ground, and had outright refused to let Lyne give him back his usual seat ("You've had a tough day, you need to rest. The mere thought of depriving you of a much deserved rest appalls me", he'd said, and after such words, she'd felt she had no choice and complied). Nobody ever treated her like that, and that felt weird. But so good at the same time! The guys had thanked her for her intervention several times through their story. Especially Gladio, who was, as she'd learned, Noctis' sworn shield, and felt extremely guilty for letting his guard down and risking Noctis' life. After a while, he wasn't as frightening, and was even quite nice, his easy-going manner helping her to relax. As for Noctis, he was the young King of Lucis, and she found that so hard to believe, given the guy's careless demeanour. He acted like any other man of his age, and that was as weird as it was cool. He was supposed to save the world, nothing less, but acted as if it was no big deal.

The world they described to her seemed fabulous as well as extremely dangerous, and Lyne was eager to explore it and see how different it was from her own.

"So, Lyne, we told you about our world, but you've barely told us anything about you", said Prompto.

So there it was. She'd spent nearly a day without thinking of where she came from, but now was the time to remember. What was she going to tell them? I live a miserable life in a world without magic, I'm married to a man I don't love anymore, and I have nothing worth living for? She lowered her head and looked at her hands, thinking about how to tell them without sounding like a crybaby. That's when she saw that she wasn't wearing her wedding ring. Of course, it was still on her desk, where she'd put it to deal with her files and her cramped cabinet! Which meant… That she was free. Free from him, free from her problems. This was her chance at starting anew, then and there she could be anyone she wanted. Even if it was for a day. She didn't even think twice before talking.

"Oh you know, there's nothing special to say about me, I'm a young woman from a world where magic doesn't exist, at least not like in your world, I'm a nobody living a small life" she said with a smile. Just like that, half of her life vanished from existence, and she felt the weight on her shoulders lighten. They had questions about her world of course, but nothing too personal, and she was glad to answer them.

"So, said Ignis after the flow of questions had ran out, you mean to say that in your world you have never used the power of lightning as you did today?"

"No, never. To tell you the truth I'm not even sure it was me this morning. When I saw that… beast, that behemoth facing me, instead of giving in to fear, some kind of presence took hold of me, and moved and talked through me. I can't see why or how I could have known how to do such things, really."

"Well, I propose we let the mystery rest for the time being, and we will see if we can glean information about it along the way."

It had been decided, much to Lyne's delight, that she would stay with the group for now, as Noctis had no idea how to send her back to her world. And since it was the last thing she wanted, the young woman was very much content of the guys' proposition to keep her with them. Something worried her nonetheless, and she decided to express her fears to the guys instead of keeping her feelings to herself.

"But what will I do if a fight occurs? I have no weapon, and I'm not sure I'll be able to use lightning again…"

"Don't worry, Gladio answered, we'll protect you. Why wouldn't you deal with curatives until we get to find you a proper weapon and give you some training?"

"Yes, I guess I could try", she said hesitantly.

"I'm sure you will be a great help", Ignis said, giving her a reassuring smile.

That night, even though she slept in the same room as four guys, Lyne didn't feel awkward. They had pulled her out of her miserable life, they had taken care of her, and they were even willing to have her around a little more. She took the gratitude she felt with her to sleep, and for the first night in ages, she slept well.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When she woke up, Lyne felt totally rested. She wasn't used to that, but it made her hopeful. At first, she couldn't quite remember the reason for the joy she felt. Then, as she realised an arm was wrapped around her waist, it hit her: she'd left her world, it wasn't a dream. The joy she felt doubled at that thought. Anything was possible. She lifted her head to see who was sleeping next to her. She'd gone to bed early the previous night, the guys nearly fighting to let her use their camping equipment. She'd found herself sleeping on Ignis' mattress, with Prompto's pillow under her head, and wrapped in Gladio's blanket. Noctis had lent her a flashlight, just in case she needed to get up during the night. She'd been so touched by how nice they all were! But if she was going to stick around, she'd better find her own equipment. Taking advantage of people's kindness was not something she approved of.

The strong arm wrapped around her middle belonged to that bear of a man, Gladio. He was fast asleep next to her, and had probably not even realised what he was doing. Lyne took that opportunity to study his face. He looked much more gentle when sleeping. His brow was relaxed, and his slightly parted lips seemed to have been made to smile (a part of her thought "and so much more!" and she blushed at that: she had no idea where that had come from). He had a scar on the left side of his face, that went from his forehead to his cheek, but instead of making him look ugly, it brought out his fierce features. One of the guys next to Gladio sighed, and that took Lyne out of her reverie. She sat up, taking Gladio's arm in her small hands to put it away from her middle. At her touch, Gladio inhaled deeply and opened his eyes.

"Mornin' sweety, slept well?" He said.

Sweety? Nobody ever called her cute names, apart from the man she used to share her life with, but that was to piss her off more often than not, as he was careful to chose names she hated. But in Gladio's mouth that sounded different. She was surprised at how much she liked it.

"Perfect", she muttered shyly. She had to admit that now he was awake, the guy still impressed her a tad bit.

Wearing only a pair of boxers, Gladio got up and out of the tent. Lyne couldn't help but stare at his perfect body. She couldn't decide what was more sexy, between his perfect ass or his well defined abs. The bird tattooed on his back was fascinating (she wondered if it was an eagle, only to remind herself that in this world eagles probably didn't exist). She forced herself to stop staring, and closed her gaping mouth the moment he turned back toward her – she wasn't sure if he'd caught her, but chose not to dwell on that as she felt heat creeping on her cheeks.

"Are you coming? Iggy's got breakfast ready."

She hadn't even noticed that Ignis was not in the tent. Now that Gladio mentioned it, if she strained her ears she could listen to the telltale sounds of someone cooking.

"Sure", she answered at once, forcing herself to leave the warmth of her borrowed bed.

Outside, the sun was rising, shedding light on the landscape offered to her eyes. Their camp was set at the edge of a forest and in front of her vast grasslands stretched to both sides. To her right, she could see strange beasts halfway between a buffalo and a mammoth grazing. Farther away an enormous four-legged monster was half immersed in the lake it was drinking from. The horizon was blocked by mountains, but to her left she could see strange rock formations she had never seen the like of in her world, that arched over land as well as roads. The view was simply breathtaking. She turned toward Ignis, who was busy over breakfast and hadn't noticed her yet. He was already perfectly groomed, his dark blonde hair swept up at the front of his head. Lyne couldn't help wondering if he slept in a sitting position to keep it perfect or if he got up really early to style it. The sleeves of his dark purple shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and it gave him a more relaxed air that contrasted with his serious face. He had refined features that drew the eye. She wouldn't have called him handsome if she'd seen him on a picture only, but the way he moved, his regal attitude, his polite and formal manner, gave him another kind of beauty. He was charming, and while she was looking at him, unnoticed, Lyne wondered if he was aware of this. He turned his turquoise eyes toward her, and that time the young woman was sure she'd been caught staring. As her face turned red for the second time in less that two minutes, she forced herself to greet Ignis to dissipate the growing awkwardness.

"Good morning", she said simply.

"Good morning Lyne", he answered amiably, giving no hint that he knew what she'd just been doing, for which she was thankful. He was definitely a gentleman.

"Are you hungry?" he asked her while pouring himself a cup of something that looked like coffee, but didn't smell quite the same.

She never ate in the morning, since it was the most depressing moment of the day for her, having nothing worth waking up for. She had scarcely any appetite in the day, but in the morning she had none. That day though, she realised she was famished. She nodded, and asked him what it was that he was drinking.

"That, my dear, is Ebony. Although my companions will tell you they find it disgusting, I, for one, think it is the most delectable beverage."

"Want me to settle the matter?" she replied with a smile.

She wasn't usually so bold with people she'd just met, but she supposed that between basically saving the young men's lives and the fact that she'd slept with them in the same tent, she felt comfortable enough to be more friendly.

"Certainly", Ignis said, smiling too.

He poured a small cup of Ebony, and handed it to her. She had never liked coffee in her world, but liked the smell well enough. She feared it would be the same with Ebony, but she wanted to give it a try. Inhaling the strong scent, she tried to find similarities with the things she was familiar with. It did smell like coffee, but there was another, undefined note underneath. She raised the cup to her lips, and sipped, aware that Ignis had not averted his gaze since he'd given her the cup. He was clearly expectant.

"Well, I'm sorry Ignis, but I will have to side with them on that one. Frankly, It tastes awful."

The young man chuckled. That was a pleasant sound.

"I feared you would say that. Well, on a positive note it means I won't have to share my provisions with anyone."

Lyne had feared he might be offended, but thankfully, Ignis was indeed quite the gentleman. He offered her tea instead, and she drank it with pleasure. During breakfast they were joined by Gladio, who'd probably gone to take a bath, given his wet hair. Lyne couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed that he'd found more clothes to put on, but she was so engrossed in her chat with Ignis that this time, she didn't even stare.

"So, where are we headed next?" Prompto asked.

They had just arrived at Wiz Chocobo Post, to collect the bounty for the death of Deadeye. The guys had insisted that Lyne take all the money, since, as Gladio put it, she had "killed the beast all by herself". Lyne was embarrassed, but ended up accepting, since she needed to buy a weapon and camping equipment. She'd found what she needed for camping at the shop near the chocobo stables, then they'd stopped to pet the chocobos, with which Lyne had instantly fallen in love, before heading toward the weapon-selling truck.

"I think it would be an appropriate time for Noctis to heed the call of the Fulgurian", Ignis suggested.

The guys had explained to Lyne what the Astrals were the previous night, and she was mesmerized by the fact that in this world gods actually existed and you could meet them if you were bold enough (or stupid), although she would believe it when she saw it. They'd told her Noctis had received the power of Titan, and that he was now supposed to ask Ramuh, the storm god, for his help.

"Let's get a weapon for Lyne first", Noctis replied.

That morning at camp, while Noctis and Prompto were getting ready after having been kicked awake by Ignis, Gladio had insisted she give a try at wielding their weapons, to see what she was more comfortable with. She hadn't even been able to lift Gladio's huge sword, so that one was out of the question. Being quite short, a polearm was not the best weapon for her either and it was quickly discarded. She'd liked Prompto's gun well enough, but she sucked at aiming. Noctis' one handed sword was fine, but Lyne lacked the strength to deal powerful blows, so in the end they all agreed that daggers were probably the best choice. She was to train with Ignis when they next made camp, much to her delight. She had to admit that he really was charming, and the prospect of spending time with him alone stirred something in her, emotions she'd thought long dead. Naturally, the young man had volunteered to help her choose the best daggers, and she soon walked away from the truck, a brand new pair of daggers in her bag. For the time being she was to use only curatives and watch the fights from a distance, but as soon as she could fight well enough they would come in handy.

"So, hum, Noctis, will I be able to summon my weapons like you guys do?"

Lyne was a bit awkward around the prince. She could see that the other guys treated him like an equal, but she didn't feel comfortable enough to do the same. After all, they weren't exactly close friends, and he was a prince. She tried very hard not to call him by his title. She'd done that a few times already that day, and Gladio had teased her every time about it. "Come on, you saved his life when none of us could, if anyone's entitled to call him Noct it's you", he'd barked at Lyne with a smile, a hand on her shoulder. His touch had sent heat through all of the young woman's body, and it was all she could do not to flinch. It was not that she didn't like being touched, but she wasn't used to people being so tactile with her. Plus there was the fact that Gladio was incredibly sexy, and her natural shyness usually caused her to avoid being in contact with such people.

"Yeah, the prince replied, you should be able to summon them once I've linked them to the king's magic. But learning to summon the weapons requires a whole training session, so we should probably wait till you've learned to fight."

The group decided to rent chocobos to travel to their next destination. The king's car had gone missing after they'd escaped Titan's lair, they'd explained to Lyne. Of course, she'd never ridden the big birds before, so Prompto was only too happy to show her. At first she was a bit tense, and they had to go slowly, but after a while she adjusted to the creature, and started to enjoy the trip. They were approaching the place where Noctis sensed the power of Ramuh, when she heard Gladio shout.

"Noct, overhead!"

She lifted her head to the sky, and sure enough, a kind of flying vehicle was hovering above them. She watched as the guys dismounted, and did the same. Comprehension hit her. The ship was not friendly, and she was going to go through her first fight. Well, second if you counted the behemoth, but since she'd had no idea what what happening at that time, it had felt entirely different. Ignis came to her in three long strides, as the airship's big door opened slowly. She could feel panic seizing her.

"Remember, you watch the fight, and if you see one of us in any kind of difficulty, you are to throw a potion, an elixir or a remedy. If one of us is knocked out, you will have to use a phoenix down. Do not, under any circumstances, come close to the Imperials. If they come at you, run, or shout out, and one of us will come to your help."

She nodded, unable to find her voice. The young man looked her in the eye, and seeing the fear there, added reassuringly: "Everything will be all right Lyne, don't worry."

With that, he turned around, and ran to his friends, jumping in the fight.

Watching it from a distance, Lyne was in awe of the guys' talent. Each of them was a master with their own weapon. Gladio handed powerful blows on the humanoid robots (Lyne remembered hearing Prompto use the word MT), nearly reaping them in half, while Prompto shot the things in all the right places. Ignis used his polearm with such dexterity, that it was almost impossible to follow his movements. She heard a cry, and her eyes darted to the place where Noctis was. He'd been hit by one of the MTs, and was limping a little bit. He was trying to put some distance between him and the enemy, and suddenly he vanished with a blue light, only to reappear half a heartbeat later, landing a blow on an MT that'd been trying to hit Gladio. Prompto shouted Lyne's name. She searched with her eyes in the melee, and then she saw him. A deep cut was covering his left arm with blood, and as he was trying to get closer to her, she noticed that he was heavily favouring his right leg. Prompto was in danger. That thought shook off her fear in the blink of an eye. She took one of the green bottles from her bag, and threw it at the blonde guy, who caught it, drank it, and went back to the fight as if nothing had happened. Lyne couldn't help feeling a surge of pride at that simple action. She'd done it, she'd been able to help!

The fight in front of her was coming to an end. Ignis used his daggers to finish off the last MT still standing, and the young woman let out a sigh of relief. The strategist turned her way, a smile on his face, but suddenly his expression changed to an angry frown. Quick as a cat, he leapt toward Lyne and threw his dagger at her. Paralysed with surprise, she didn't even try to dodge, and only gasped with fear, preparing to die as the weapon got closer and closer.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Gladio turned toward Lyne, he saw Ignis' dagger hit the MT standing behind the young woman as it was about to drive its axe into her back. His mind went blank. He rushed to her, and despite his best efforts to calm down, he started to lose it.

"Okay girl, that won't do. I know this is all new to you, but could you try to focus? It was only a simple fight, so we need you to be able to..."

"It wasn't her fault, Gladio, Ignis cut in. We ought to have been more careful as well. I suggest someone stays by Lyne's side until she gets some fighting reflexes. Not everybody was born with a sword in their hands."

"Do I need to remind you that it's the prince we're supposed to protect?"

"Gladio, Noct intervened. "The prince" knows how to fight, so I have to side with Specs. Until she's more used to all this, someone should stay by Lyne's side. If you don't wanna do it, it's fine. We'll take turns with Prompto and Iggy."

They didn't get it. They didn't get it at all. Gladio wasn't sure he got it any better though, and just like that, his anger subsided.

"No, that's not it. Listen..." But he was at a loss for words. "Okay, nevermind, forget about it. I'll stay with her during the next fight."

Nobody had anything to retort, so he supposed the matter was settled. They got back on their chocobos and resumed their search for the first runestone that would lead them to the storm god. Gladio was brooding on his mount as he rode alongside Lyne. The real problem, the thing that was making him mad, was that, once again, he hadn't been up to the task. He was supposed to be a shield, the king's shield. He had failed to protect his liege, and owed his life to a young woman who'd come from nowhere and didn't know how to fight. And then he had failed to protect that very same woman, who now owed her life to Ignis. Was he losing his edge? How was he going to help Noct fulfill his destiny if he couldn't even protect Lyne from a single MT?

His eyes darted to the young woman next to him. The look of despair she'd had the previous night was back. It pained him even more to know that he was probably the cause of that. He was going to have to apologise once they made camp. Iggy was right, it wasn't her fault, she'd done as they'd told her. He wanted her to look at him, so he could at least let her know that he wasn't mad at her, but her eyes remained stubbornly fixed on her chocobo's head. He was about to reach out to her and aplogise, when he heard Noct's voice.

"That way, I think we found it!"

They got off their mounts, and walked to the place the prince had indicated. Sure enough, the runestone stood there, waiting for Noct to touch it.

It was over before Gladio even realised it had begun. Noct looked preoccupied, but he urged them to continue.

As they got out of the gorge, a large group of MTs were waiting for them. This time, Gladio stayed around Lyne, taking down the soldiers who got too close to them. He couldn't help noticing that the young woman looked even more terrified than she had during the previous fight, and cursed himself once again. She was still focused on the fight despite her state of mind, and managed to help Ignis after he'd got hit a little too harshly by an MT swordsman.

Once the fight was over, he turned her way and, as he put his hand on her shoulder, said tentatively:

"You did good."

He saw her flinch at his touch, so he removed his hand at once. That girl was really on edge, and she probably had him to thank for it. Nevertheless, she looked him in the eye and answered, almost daring him to add a "but" to his sentence.

"Thanks".

On edge, but proud.

ooo

They hadn't been able to find the second runestone before the night, so they had stopped at a camper near a gas station. Ignis had outdone himself in the kitchen, and they'd all had a nice little chat, though Lyne couldn't quite enjoy it as much as she'd wanted to. All she wanted to do was go to bed, be away from Gladio. She was so sad he thought she had fucked up, and at the same time she felt he hadn't been fair with her. He'd tried to make it up to her after their second fight with the MTs, but that didn't really cheer her up. What was the point of getting out of a shitty life if she was going to be yelled at in this world too? Maybe she was the problem, in the end... After the joy she'd felt the previous night and that morning, sadness was back in her heart.

Rain had stopped falling outside, so Lyne decided to go for a quick walk, get some fresh air. But she soon heard the door of the camper open and close, and someone following her. She didn't turn to see who it was, but kept on walking instead. She stopped suddenly in her tracks. What if it was Ignis? Ignis was too nice with her for her to be mean to him on purpose. She didn't want to hurt him because she was too sensitive to handle a remark from Gladio. She heard someone clearing their throat behind her, probably wanting to let her know of their presence. Her arms crossed on her chest, she turned. Wrong guy. She rolled her eyes at him.

"What do you want?" She said, more weakly than she'd intended.

"Isn't it obvious? I came to apologise." He growled in response.

Okay, this was getting them nowhere. Being aggressive with him was not going to help. Stop making the same mistakes over and over again, she thought.

"I'm listening", she replied, more kindly this time.

Gladio sighed, and gestured to her to follow him to a pair of chairs outside the restaurant.

"It's just that, seeing you in danger, it... made me mad. Truth is, I wasn't mad at you really, more at myself. You know, I'm supposed to protect Noct, I'm his sworn shield, the Amicitia family are always shields to the line of Lucis. I've prepared myself to the task my whole life, and now I feel like I'm failing. I put Noct in danger with Deadeye, and today it was your turn. I just... couldn't handle it."

"I... see." Lyne hadn't expected him to be so direct with his feelings, men usually didn't confide in her, probably because she was so shy. She chose her words carefully. "Well, from what I've seen in the brief period of time I've been with you guys, you are one hell of a fighter, and a great friend to Noct. But I have a feeling you might be putting too much pressure on yourself. You are not the only one protecting him, Ignis and Prompto are here too, doing their part. And I'm here too now, and I'll do my best to help you for as long as I can. Maybe what you need is shake off your guilt, learn to rely more on others, and be thankful you have them."

(Yeah girl, listen to you, why don't you follow your own piece of advice, for a change)

Gladio seemed to ponder that a moment, before answering.

"I... guess you're right. Look, I'm really sorry I yelled at you earlier, sometimes I'm a real dick. I don't want you to feel bad around us, I've got a feeling you've been through enough before, so could you please forget I've said anything?"

"I promise I'll try" she replied with a smile.

He squeezed her hand and helped her to her feet, and they got back to the camper together. She couldn't help noticing Ignis looking through the window at the pair of them. When she climbed inside though, he was nowhere to be seen, and when she asked, Prompto told her he'd just went to bed.

ooo

As far back as he could remember, cooking had always soothed Ignis' nerves. Whenever he'd had a bad day at school, or if young prince Noctis had been really hard to handle, his mother would be here at the end of the day, taking him in the kitchen to teach him new things. This quality time he'd had he cherished over any other memory, and that was what he got back to when he cooked for his companions.

That morning while he was busying himself with breakfast, he felt a little bit like he had in those days, when sadness took over and his mother was here to comfort him. Except this time, his mother was not here. Would never be here any more. He didn't know why he felt that way though. He'd had a perfectly normal day – that was, as normal a day as could be, when you were the Chosen King's royal advisor, travelling with him so that he could receive the Astrals' blessing to defeat darkness. He'd gone to bed early, and one of the last things he remembered about the previous night was watching Gladio and Lyne chatting outside. He didn't understand what was so special about that image, but it was somehow printed on his mind's eye, and the scene kept repeating itself in his memory. But he wasn't one to dwell on what feelings could possibly be lurking behind his reaction to what he'd seen, so he was trying hard to stop thinking, and cooking was the best help he knew.

After a time Lyne joined him. He acted as if nothing had happened the day before, because, really, nothing had happened, hadn't it? He couldn't quite understand why part of his mind thought otherwise. They took their breakfast together, chatting amicably about life in Lucis.

Gladio got up and joined them, before going for a quick jog. Ignis couldn't help watching them as his friend wished her a good morning, and she responded with a smile. What was the matter with him? Why was it that such tiny details caught his full attention when so many things required it instead? He was brought out of his thoughts by the young woman's question:

"So, when do we start my training?"

Ignis hadn't even thought about that. How could he have forgotten about such an important thing? He really wasn't quite himself that morning. Looking out of the window, he saw that rain had spared them for the time being, though big dark clouds were getting closer.

"I suppose we could start on the basics while the weather remains fair. I suggest you fetch your daggers, and then we can be on our way."

She got back from the little room in no time, her daggers in her hands and a smile on her face. Ignis couldn't help noticing how pretty she was when she was smiling. And right now that smile was just for him.

They settled in a clearing not far from Cernix Station. He showed her how to properly hold her weapons, and one or two basic moves. She was eager to learn, and listened carefully each time he stopped her to correct her movements. She wasn't a natural, he could see a clumsiness in her movements, and it was quite understandable given the fact that in her world you needn't learn how to fight against monsters -she had explained to them that the worst monsters of her world were other humans. But she would probably be able to make up for it in no time, thanks to her quick wits.

After they had practised for some time, rain started again, and Ignis called it quits.

"Let us go back to the camper, and get ready to resume our search for the second runestone. You did well today, I have good hopes to bring you along for a few simple fights very soon."

"Thanks Ignis, she replied with a smile. For being so kind with me, for saving me yesterday, and for accepting to train me. It means a lot."

"Don't mention it. I am sure you would have done the same, had the situation been reversed."

"For you? Of course I would have."

They got back to the camper, and Ignis couldn't even muster the courage to be cross with Noct, who was still fast asleep even though it was already past ten.

Ignis couldn't quite understand why, but his need to cook had vanished.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

That day, after her training session with Ignis, Lyne felt more alive than she'd had in years. They'd been looking for the second runestone for two hours, when their first encounter with a foe happened. The young woman took her place as a healer, with the strategist staying with her for protection. This time they weren't facing imperials, but had been attacked by creatures that looked like a mix between giraffes and antelopes. Everything was going fine. Gladio had killed the biggest beast, Noctis and Ignis were taking care of a smaller one which had come close to where Lyne was standing. Suddenly, she heard a cry. Her eyes flicked to the direction it had come from. Pinned to the ground, Prompto was in difficulty as the beast he'd been facing was trying to crush him under its weight. Potions were no use, she was no use. And none of the guys were paying attention, too intent on defeating the creatures they were fighting. Without even thinking, Lyne jumped from the rock she was standing on, and rushed to the blonde's side. That close to the creature, it looked even more huge. Instead of letting fear paralyse her, the young woman took Prompto's hand, and pulled, to no avail. His legs were stuck under the beast, and he was starting to lose consciousness from the pain.

"Lyne, he managed to say, you're putting yourself in danger, go back to Ignis..."

"No way I'm leaving you like that, I'm supposed to be the healer, remember?"

She had no idea what she was going to do, but seeing her new friend in danger gave her strength. One moment she was contemplating taking her daggers out and driving them into the beast's side. The next she knew, she had her palm outstretched toward the sky, and was touching the creature with the other one. As if she had commanded it, lightning struck her, sending a bolt of energy to the beast's heart, killing it on the spot.

"Gnnnhgnnn" came Prompto's voice.

Coming to her senses, Lyne understood at once that though he hadn't been directly targeted by her power, he'd been in contact with the beast and had been struck as well, though to a lesser degree.

"Prompto!" Gladio was rushing to their side, and had his friend disentangled from the carcass of the monster in no time. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I'll survive. Thanks Lyne."

Hearing her name, Gladio suddenly seemed to notice that she was here with them.

"What happened?"

"I... think I used lightning again."

"Wait, you mean you did this to Prompto?" The big guy's anger was rising again. The look he gave her made her wince.

"Gladio, it's fine, really. Without Lyne's intervention, I'd be done for. What's a little lightning when your life's at stake?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Thanks Lyne, we owe you one. Again." He added with a kind smile.

Ignis and Noctis had joined them by now, having finally dealt with the remaining beast. Seeing Prompto's dishevelled hair, Noctis couldn't help but make fun of his friend.

"Did you stick your fingers in an outlet or something?"

"More or less."

Prompto didn't look like he held any grudge against Lyne, but she still felt the need to apologise.

"I'm sorry Prompto, I didn't mean to hurt you, it just sort of happened, I didn't know what to do to help you..."

"Really Lyne, it's fine" he replied with a smile.

"If you are going to throw lightning at our enemies on a regular basis, I suppose it would be a good idea if you tried to have a little control over your power. Maybe you should try to practise on targets which are far from us." Ignis said.

It wasn't clearly a reproach, but still, coming from the strategist's mouth, that stung. She had only wanted to help, and in any case, she had no idea how she was doing it.

Lyne didn't know what to add, so after giving a potion to Prompto, they got on their way once again.

The next two fights were uneventful. Well, as uneventful as a fight could be for someone who'd just come to that strange world; but no more lightning-wielding happened. She'd tried once to summon the power of the storm above her, but to no avail. Was it because Ignis had scolded her? Or was she only able to use that strange power when someone was in great danger?

By noon, they'd found the second runestone, and were on their way to a place named Fociaugh Hollow, to meet with Ramuh. They were nearly there, when they came upon a group of imperials who were waiting for them on the main road. Hidden among trees, Lyne and her companions remained unseen. They were considering their options when the young woman felt a hand on her elbow.

"It seems like a good occasion for you to practise", Ignis suggested when she looked at him."Why don't you try to use lightning to clear us a path?"

"I... have no idea how to do that. That last time was an accident, like with the behemoth. Honestly, I'm not sure I do it on purpose."

"Just try to remember how you felt before. Were you upset? Frightened? Tired?"

Now that Ignis mentioned it, she realised that each time she'd done it, she'd been trying to help other people, trying to save their lives.

"I think I was scared. For you guys the first time, and for Prompto that second time."

"Do you think you could try to replicate that feeling in your imagination?"

"I guess I could try", she replied hesitantly.

Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine Prompto being crushed under that beast again. She felt nothing. She tried to picture the behemoth about to kill them all, but it was no use. Sighing, she turned to Ignis.

"It's not working."

An encouraging smile on his face, he said:

"Maybe you just need something more concrete."

And just like that, he stepped out of the cover of the trees, and started walking calmly toward the imperials.

"Wait, what are you doing? IGNIS!"

The imperials had spotted the young man, and were preparing to attack him. Her cry had drawn the other guys' attention.

"Iggy, are you mad?" Gladio was starting to rush after his friend, closely followed by Noctis and Prompto.

Even with the help of his three friends, Ignis wasn't going to make it. The imperials were far too numerous, the guys were too far back. He wasn't even summoning his weapons. Lyne knew what he was trying to do, but as fear started to overcome her, she realised he was going to die, and that would be her fault. She felt a surge of anger, anger at her own weakness, her own fear to make a stand for what mattered. She couldn't take her eyes off Ignis, still peacefully walking to his death. That did the trick. Throwing both her hands toward the sky, she felt electricity starting to gather around her. Thunder rolled above her head. This time she could feel her will directing the power. Each MT was struck at the same time by a bolt, even the big machine waiting in the rear. In an instant, it was done. They all fell to the ground in an almost graceful manner. Ignis stopped, turned to look at her, and gave her the warmest smile ever.

ooo

Ignis could tell that Lyne was a little upset with him for what he'd done. If he was honest with himself, he had no idea what madness had taken over him. It wasn't like him to act so recklessly, but he was still glad he'd done it, because in the end, it had helped the young woman start to understand how to master her power. There had still been one moment when doubt had made an apparition in his heart, but he was certainly not going to tell her that. He'd congratulated her, and told her he'd been sure she was going to succeed in using her power on purpose.

As they were approaching Fociaugh Hollow, he could see that she was still brooding over what had just happened.

"What is it Lyne? Is something the matter?"

"I don't know… I guess…" She was struggling to find the right words."I wish I could know why this is happening to me, I mean, I'm no one special, why do I have that power? We've already seen it can be dangerous for others, but how do I know it's not dangerous for me?"

"Being frightened is perfectly normal in your situation, I assure you. If we still don't know where that power does come from, we do know one thing: you can control it. So this means that should it be your wish to avoid using it, you will indeed be able to do so once you've learned how to control it. Come now, I have a feeling that if there is one place for you to find why you can wield the power of lightning, the Fulgurian's lair might be just the one."

As he said those words, Ignis saw a flash of lightning not far ahead. The group started toward the place it had come from, but when he felt Lyne not following them, he turned to see what had made her stop.

"Are you com… ?"

She was gone.

He looked around him, to see if there was any indication as to where she might have gone, but could find none.

"Iggy, Lyne, are you coming or what?" He could hear Gladio behind him.

"Lyne is gone" he could hear himself reply blankly.

"What do you mean gone?" Prompto asked.

"I don't know what that means. One moment she was there right behind me, and the second after that, she was not. Noct, did you feel anything? Maybe you managed to end the summoning?"

"Wasn't me, I did nothing. You sure she didn't go back, or maybe she needed to pee?"

"As I said before, Ignis retorted dryly, feeling the heat on his cheeks at the mention of any of Lyne's private needs, she was right behind me. We were talking as a matter of fact, so I don't think she would have left like that."

They waited half an hour, to see if she came back. Prompto doubled back and went looking for her near the main road. Ignis could hear his friend calling out to her, as he felt dread settling over him. Was she really gone for good? If it was so, did he have the right to ask Noct to try and summon her back? It had felt good having her around, getting to know her, making her smile again. Was she back in that sad world of hers she hated so much? They'd barely known her for a couple of days, but that shy woman had already felt like a part of their group, they all had taken her under their wing in their own way. Plus there was the fact that she'd already saved them several times. They needed her. Ignis needed her more than he'd known.

After a while, he had no choice but to accept it. Waiting here was no good. He made himself talk.

"We should resume our search for the Fulgurian's lair. Let's face it, she's gone, and waiting here will not bring her back."

However reluctant they were, his companions had no choice but to agree with him. They crossed the distance that separated them from the place Gentiana had indicated to Noctis, and entered the cave.

They faced the dangers of Fociaugh Hollow to the best of their abilities. It was a bleak place, matching the group's mood as they made their way to the center of the cave. When Noct touched the third runestone, part of Ignis hoped something would happen, that Lyne would somehow turn up and everything would be back to normal. But as the prince only received the storm god's blessing, Ignis realised that she was probably gone for good. The normal mode they were switching back to was indeed the way things had been before she had stormed into their lives. He had better accept it, and focus on their mission.

When they got out of the cave, rain had stopped falling. They saw a huge airship flying above their heads, and decided that they could probably go to the place it was headed to and see if they could glean any information about the Regalia's whereabouts. Noct had received a call from Cindy, who confirmed that the empire was in possession of their car. Night was falling though, so they agreed to make camp in Killiam Haven, and depart for Aracheole Stronghold the next day.

Even Prompto was not in the mood that night. No stupid jokes, no King's Knight, no pictures. Ignis did a minimum with cooking, and nobody had the heart to complain.

He was about to go to bed, when he heard a cry nearby, closely followed by a flash of lightning. Without even thinking, hope clouding his judgement, the young man darted toward the noise. Through the trees, he could make out an Iron Giant swinging its sword at something or someone way smaller, facing it. Another bolt of lightning struck the daemon, who was only stunned by the blow. Still running, Ignis summoned his polearm, bracing himself for the fight to come. But before he even got the chance to come near the beast, it was over. She had managed to come round the giant where it couldn't see her, and, touching it, she unleashed all her power. From a distance, it looked like she had always known how to do it. Ignis felt a surge of pride at how quickly she'd learned.

When he finally joined Lyne, Ignis couldn't help himself. He took her in his arms, so thankful she was back in his life.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

At first Ignis could feel her stiffen at his sudden show of affection, but Lyne quickly returned the hug. A familiar scent of blood came to his nostrils, and that brought the young man back to his senses. He was suddenly very much aware of his unusual behaviour, and awkwardly disentangled himself from her.

" Please, forgive me about that. It's... good to see you."

" It's good to see you too" she replied with a smile, the flush on her face visible under the nearby street light.

" Lyne!" Prompto had found them, closely followed by Gladio and Noctis. They were all grinning, visibly relieved to see her as well. "We thought you were back in your world!"

" Lyne, I see you're hurt, Ignis cut in. Let us bring you back to camp so we can patch you up."

Once cleaned, her wound turned to be shallow: a mere scratch from when she'd fallen to avoid being hit by the daemon's sword. Nothing a potion couldn't fix.

They all felt very much awake now, and they were eager to know where Lyne had gone during the few hours she'd been missing.

Sitting around the campfire, they questioned her.

" I don't know what happened, or where I went. A moment I was speaking with Ignis, and the second after that, I was lying on the ground near that road, with the monster sprouting next to me. Between that, I don't really remember anything else. I just know I was safe and... at peace."

There was not much left to say after that, so they all went to bed. Ignis stayed awake long after the others had fallen asleep. Something was troubling him. Although Lyne seemed sincere, he couldn't help feeling that she wasn't completely honest with them. At first he thought about pressing the subject, but then he changed his mind. After all she hadn't known them for long, maybe it was something too personal for her to disclose, better to let her come to trust them and confide in them whenever she felt ready. As an introvert, he could perfectly understand if she needed more time, and the most important thing, was that she was back with them, right?

ooo

The group of five took the imperial base on the morrow. Lyne was a precious help. Gladio noticed that she was getting better at using her power, and even though they had to come to her help on one or two occasions, she was doing quite well on her own.

When they got outnumbered by imperials guarding the Magitek generator, Noct summoned Ramuh. They had never seen anything like it. Even Titan looked small next to the Fulgurian. The attack was devastating, and there were soon no more soldiers to kill. After he'd helped them, the Astral remained in sight for a few seconds, with everyone gawking in awe at him. Even after he was gone, Lyne stood there, unmoving. Chuckling, Gladio put a hand on her back to take her out of her thoughts.

" Impressive, huh? We're lucky he's on our side."

" Yeah…"

She followed the guys to the Regalia, a thoughtful look on her face. Gladio couldn't help noticing Ignis staring at her, looking concerned.

Their chance encounter with Ravus didn't go well. Gladio felt useless, once more. Without the intervention of Ardyn, they would have been in for a rough time. The king's shield didn't take too long to ponder over his hurt feelings and doubts though, because there was much more to do.

He'd hated the way the man's gaze had lingered on Lyne, as if she was a prey that he was preparing to swallow. And given the beating he'd just received, he wasn't feeling too over-confident about his chances of protecting her if the chancellor had decided to strike.

That night at camp, even though Gladio had much on his own mind, he took upon himself to cheer Lyne up. He could see that something was bothering her, but as she was so shy, he didn't really know how to make her open up to him. He wasn't that good with words anyway, and wasn't the overthinking type, so he figured some fun was the best remedy to a blue mood.

Getting her out of her natural reserve was the hardest part. Little did she know that he'd had training with Iggy. She soon found herself on Gladio's shoulders, trying to make Prompto fall from Noct's, who'd complied reluctantly to take part in their silly game, probably giving in to Prom's enthusiasm. The young woman couldn't help giggling as she successfully unhorsed Prompto.

" That's not fair, Lyne's much lighter than Prom, let's switch" Noctis grumbled.

" You're just being a sore loser. Besides, the lady's worth a mightier mount than a scrawny crybaby!" Gladio answered with a smirk, putting Lyne down. He could see that she had turned crimson, and his grin widened.

Prompto snorted at the ambiguous remark. "He's got a point you know Noct!"

The prince turned back to his sulky self at that, and crashed in his chair, muttering about how he should have known better and kept on playing King's Knight. Chuckling proudly at everyone's reaction, Gladio turned to Ignis, seeking his usual supportive smirk. Teasing the prince together was one of their favourite sports, as it made them forget about the reality of their situation.

That's why he was so surprised to find Ignis glaring at him.

He was cooking dinner, and his knuckles were white on the spoon he was holding – Ignis preferred to remove his precious gloves while cooking, lest he cut them with his sharp knife. Gladio caught a burnt scent coming from the stew. If something was an alarming sign, this certainly was it. Raising his eyebrows, he talked softly to his friend.

" Everything all right there Iggy?"

At first he thought the royal advisor wasn't going to answer, but he stirred and seemed to regain some of his composure. Making quick work of the food, he lowered his gaze and said in a low tone:

" Yes, please excuse me. I was lost in thought."

Now that was unsettling. Why was Iggy reacting like that? Was it what he'd said? Could he have feelings for their new companion? As he saw a still flushed Lyne come to help him with dinner and his friend's face light up in her presence, he became sure of it. In all the years he'd known him, he had never seen Ignis act like that. Oh sure, he'd had a few dates in his teens, but it had seemed more like he was doing it to educate himself, striving to be efficient in every domain, than because he really had the wish to be in a relationship. Every time he'd remained focused on his tasks and duties. That was different. Ignis looked like he was out of his element, very nearly losing his precious control over things.

He wondered if the strategist was aware of his own feelings. Was he going to make a move? He'd have to talk to him about that. Gladio himself was a little confused about how that made him feel. He could perfectly understand why Ignis would be infatuated with the young woman. She was really pretty, she was smart, and her petite stature and her vulnerability made everyone want to protect her. Though at the same time, and even more so since she'd reappeared, there was an underlying strength in her that had only started to grow. Although she wasn't the kind of woman he usually fell for, he liked her well enough too, he realised. So what, were they rivals? What would he chose, help his friend with the girl he obviously liked, or try something with her, and in so doing risking to break their friendship and his friend's heart?

He left his train of thoughts there when Ignis announced that dinner was ready. Nobody dared mention the burnt taste of the stew as they ate.

ooo

As she made herself comfortable in her bed, Lyne thought about what had happened earlier. In fact, she wasn't sure what had happened earlier. Had Gladio really meant what she thought he'd meant? Had he been trying to hit on her? She really didn't know. In her previous life, her husband had been her first and only, so she was rather inexperienced in all this game. What she was sure of though, was that a part of her had liked that, liked the way he'd looked at her, the way he'd touched her, putting her down after their silly game while keeping a hand on her waist. Although she wasn't sure it was worth it, considering Ignis' reaction. Also, what had that been about? Had he really been angry at his friend's remark? Why did she hope so much that it was so?

And, more importantly, why was she bothering with such petty things, when there was a huge gap in her life, that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember a thing of? Apart from a few sensations and a commanding voice telling her to forget and reveal nothing, there wasn't much else. Except that face. A giant face with a white beard, white hair, and a pair of piercing eyes. She could have sworn he'd winked at her before disappearing.

Taking deep breaths, she willed herself to relax and remember, and closed her eyes.

ooo

When she opened her eyes again, she couldn't tell where she was, but she felt good, at peace. She felt like she was floating in the air, and even though the sensation was unsettling, she liked the freedom it brought. She remembered that just a moment before she'd been with Ignis talking as they walked toward a cave to find the last runestone that would allow Noctis to receive the storm god's power. None of her companions were in sight though; so she supposed she must be alone in this new place. She perceived a presence behind her, and willed her body to turn around to see who it was. Surprisingly, her body obeyed at once. But she turned, all the peace she had been feeling disappeared at once. She was facing a giant man, giant was not even the right word but her mind was not able to process how tall he was. He seemed to be filling all the space available. He was everywhere. Though he looked very old, he radiated power. He had an endless white beard, white hair, and his piercing red eyes had a shade of yellow in them. He was wearing green robes with a high collar, and held a staff with a tip carved into a unicorn head.

All this she noted without even thinking about it. When she saw the giant, her brain simply stopped working. Remotely, she heard her own scream, a piercing sound in the deafening silence of the place. Suddenly, the being was nowhere to be seen, and Lyne found herself in a room looking very much like her childhood bedroom. An elderly man was facing her. He looked like her favourite grandfather, and was smiling warmly at her. But her grandfather was dead, so how could he be facing her? Was she dead as well?

She immediately stopped screaming, although her fear was still very much present.

The elder man opened his mouth to speak. His voice was not her grandfather's:

" I suppose this appearance will be less frightening to you, it will be easier to talk that way. Do not be afraid, child, for you are safe here with me. I have wanted to talk to you for longer than you can imagine."

" T-to m-me ?" She stammered.

" Why yes, to you, of course. Have you never wished to speak to your father?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

She sat bolt upright in her bed. What the hell had that been??? A dream? A memory? "Did that man just say he was my father?" she thought.

This was so grotesque that she almost laughed out loud, remembering just in time that four men were asleep next to her. Instead, she decided to get up, and get some fresh air.

Sitting in one of the guys' chair, she looked in the embers of the dying fire. Now that she was wide awake, confusion had fled her mind. She realised that the gap in her memories was gone. She could remember every second of her encounter with her biological father…

ooo

"My f-father?" She stared at him blankly, not sure she understood.

"Has your mother never spoken to you about your origins then?" came Ramuh's powerful voice.

"All I know is that I was born in Denmark. I was adopted a few days after my birth, and a year later we moved to England. My parents never mentioned anything about my origins, as they knew nothing."

Sadness fell over her grandfather's -no, Ramuh's disguised- face.

"Do you mean to tell me that your mother died giving birth to you?"

"Yes, at least that's what I was told. She lived long enough to give me my name though."

She chuckled then, remembering something.

"I guess that part makes sense at least. In Danish, Lyn means lightning. My mother… Did she know what… I mean, who you were?"

"Come sit, child, and I will tell you the story of your birth."

Once she was comfortable on the couch Ramuh had motioned to, he began his story.

"I had never been closely interested in humans. I loved them as a whole of course, my mission was to protect mankind, but I had never taken the time to come to know humans as individuals. Until I heard your mother's voice. She was singing a song to the gods, and she had such a pure voice, it reached me and appealed to me. When I discovered where the voice came from, I decided to take on a human appearance so as to talk to her. Upon getting to know her, I came to feel things that I had deemed impossible for an Astral to feel. When she revealed her pregnancy to me, I gave in to fear. I feared that upon discovering your existence, the other Astrals would annihilate you and your mother. I especially feared what Ifrit, the Betrayer, might do to harm me, through you both. You see, your mother and I had always met in secret, none of the Astrals knew of what we shared.

So I decided to hide you. Though it pained me to know that I would never see your mother's face again, I decided it was our best chance, and she agreed with me. I sent her to an unknown world, a world where my magic could not reach her once she was there. Which meant that she was safe from the wrath of my fellow Astrals. I never heard of her again, of course, and I had assumed you were happy together. It grieves me greatly to know that you had no time together, and that you were left alone.

When the Chosen King tried to summon the power of the Astrals, he somehow called out to you, probably in the attempt of reaching me. The moment you came to Eos, I became aware of your presence, and came to your help. Through our blood we are linked, that is why you can use my power, and I can feel you. When you get stronger I suppose we will be able to communicate with telepathy as well."

Too much information. Lyne didn't know how to process all of this. She felt like this was not affecting her, like the god sitting next to her was telling her someone else's story. She kept silent for a few minutes, trying to assimilate the revelation of her birth.

"Wait, so, that means I'm a… demigod?"

"We mostly use the term Astral on Eos, but, yes, I suppose you can say that." He replied with a kindly smile.

"How do I call you though? Daddy?"

The Astral chuckled at that.

"You can call me whatever you please. You are my beloved daughter, and nothing will change that, but if you wish to stay away from me and act as if you knew nothing, I shall respect that as well."

"Why would I wish to do such a thing?" she asked, incredulous.

"If I remember right what you have just said, you have adoptive parents who must love you greatly, so I suppose my place has been taken already."

Lyne sighed heavily. The hurt was still so present that she had to choke back tears every time she thought about it.

"My adoptive parents, they… They died in an accident two years ago."

Ramuh extended his hand to take hers, but seemed to hesitate, as if waiting for her permission. She gave a small nod, and thus she had her first physical contact with her godly dad. She was surprised at how natural it felt.

"Where are we?"

"I took that memory in your head when you were starting to panic, I assumed it was the place where you grew up as a child."

"No, I mean, are we still in Eos? Is this a dream?"

"Ah, the answer to that is more complex. I would simply say yes, and yes. We are in an inter-world, a place connected to Eos, that humans can sometimes reach in the first moments of slumber. Some call it the astral plane. We Astrals can travel through it, not just with our mind, but our body as well. It is essentially the place where we reside. Each world has its own astral plane."

"How long will I be able to stay in Eos? Will I stay forever?"

"I wish it was the case. You came through the Chosen King's summoning, and as long as that power lingers, you will stay. The day the King fulfills his destiny though…"

A wave of dread washed over her. One day, she was going to have to leave this place and go back to her former life. A few tears fell on her lap.

"I would give you a different answer if I could, but I do not wish to lie to you. Still, knowing that you must depart some day, I hope you will decide to make the most of your stay here while you can. Now, I feel the Chosen King calling out to me. I must answer his call and grant him my blessing, and you need to be on you way. Do not be frightened, some time will have passed when you get back to your friends. Exiting the astral plane takes some time when you are not used to it, but it should not be more than a few hours after your departure. One last thing though. You are not to reveal your true identity to anyone, especially your travelling companions. If the Chosen King knew, the other Astrals would be able to learn of your existence through his mind and I dare not imagine what would happen then. Can you promise me you will keep this to yourself?"

What else could she do but agree to her father's demand? It was for her own safety, and for her father's as well.

"Now child, I will guide you to the exit. I trust we will see each other very soon…" he said, smiling warmly.

ooo

Lyne hadn't realised how cold she was, until someone put a blanket on her bare shoulders. Jumping, she turned to discover Ignis looking at her, a concerned look on his face.

"Is everything all right Lyne?"

"Yeah, thanks, I just… couldn't sleep."

"Have you had any recollection of what happened when you went missing?"

Oh clever Ignis, too clever for his own good. Could he read her mind, or what? How she wished she could tell him the truth! Instead, she chose a half truth.

"Not really… I just remembered something, I can't tell you how I know it, but I know that it's true. My presence here is linked to Noctis. When he… When he does what he must, I will go." Saying that out loud sent shivers through her spine.

Looking defeated, Ignis took the chair next to her, his shoulders slumped.

"I had somewhat come to the same conclusion, he replied in a whisper, although I very much wished I was wrong."

The look he gave her then, and what Ramuh had said about making the most of her time in Eos, triggered something in her. For a moment she forgot about her frightened, shy self. She got up, and came to sit on Ignis' lap, curling up against him, her face buried into his neck and one arm around his waist. She could feel his surprise at first, but he responded almost at once, putting his arms around her, as if he never wanted to let her go.

Morning found them like that, asleep and finding solace and warmth in each other.

ooo

Gladio could tell that something had changed between Ignis and Lyne. He wasn't sure what that was, but they seemed to be more comfortable around each other. Ignis would make quips, and would get a sarcastic reply from the young woman. They trained together every morning, and Lyne was getting better at wielding her daggers with each passing day. Although that was nothing compared to her ability to use lightning. Sometimes during fights, when she unleashed all of her power to shorten a fight that was taking longer than expected, Gladio would come to think of what she was able to do as a form of art. It looked like it had become a reflex for her, and she'd never hurt them by mistake again. She still needed to learn how to fight with weapons though, since some foes were impervious to lightning. But more importantly, using her power too much drained her physical strength. As she was getting to know the guys more, she showed her true self. She was as witty as Ignis, and could be as immature as Prompto, with whom she shared her love of photography and video games. With Noct, she shared an ability to oversleep, although the prince would get jealous because somehow, Ignis never lectured her the way he did with him. And Gladio had found out that she loved reading as much as he did, so they had a common subject to talk about. Apart from that, people could have thought that the king's shield and the petite woman didn't have much in common, but he felt otherwise. Her presence in the group was refreshing, and he liked being in her company. Making her blush was his new favourite thing to do; she was so pretty with heat creeping on her cheeks. He was not blind though. He could see the way she looked at Ignis. His friend looked at her in the same way, but the both of them seemed to lack the confidence to believe what was happening between them.

One night as they'd come back to Lestallum to collect the bounty of their last hunt, they were in a bar near the Leville hotel, where they were staying. Prompto, Noct and Lyne were having fun with Justice Monsters Five in the far corner of the bar. Ignis and Gladio remained in the booth, sitting in silence.

"So Iggy, what's between you and Lyne?"

The lean man looked taken aback at his friend's boldness.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"Well, you together or something?"

"Pray tell, did we do something that would have made you believe we were?"

"Come on, I've seen the way you two ogle each other."

"Gladio, does it look like we have the time for this kind of things? We have a duty to the kingdom, a duty to Noct. We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted in any way."

There it was. He knew he'd won. He chuckled, savouring his victory.

"I see. Well then you don't see any problem with me taking my chances with her, right?"

Ignis was speechless. He could either admit that Lyne was more important than his duty to the king, or stay silent and see the girl he liked slipping from his grasp. Gladio knew his friend too well, of course. He opened and closed his mouth several times, at a loss for words. When Gladio got no answer, he got to his feet, beaming.

"Let's get this party started then!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Gladio had taken Lyne on a tour of the town. She had been in awe at the view of the meteor when they parked the Regalia the day before, and she was eager to play the tourist. They were crossing the street to get to the outlook where the view promised to be the most beautiful, when something caught Lyne's eye. A white truck, with the words 'Cup Noodles' written everywhere. The font, logo, label, everything was the same. She stopped in her tracks, unable to avert her gaze from the familiar vehicle.

"Wanna try some really good food?" came Gladio's deep voice.

"No, it's not... I mean, I love Cup Noodles, but... How come you have these in Eos? We have them as well where I'm from!"

Now that she came to think of it, there were many similarities between their worlds. Cars, smartphones, even though they weren't exactly the same. Video games, technology in general. And the language. How come they had that in common too? Was it possible that she and her mother were not the first to travel from one world to the other? And if so, did that mean that once she had to leave Eos, there would be a way for her to come back?

Leaving these thoughts in the back of her mind, she promised herself to ask her father when they met again. She turned to Gladio, who had a puzzled look on his face, not understanding what was bugging her.

"Sorry, don't mind me. I was just surprised. But if you want to eat Cup Noodles later, that's fine, I like it."

He gave her a broad smile, and took her arm to lead her to the outlook.

They'd had a wonderful time that day. Gladio had taken Lyne to a cute restaurant, where they'd shared delicious cuisine (though not half as delicious as what Ignis usually prepared) and had a nice chat. Gladio was fun, and now that she knew him better Lyne couldn't recall how she had found him frightening in the first place. He could be serious when talking about books, or about his mission as the King's shield, and suddenly turn into the best joke teller, making her cheeks hurt from laughing. She couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed that hard.

He was walking Lyne back to the Leville, where she shared a room with Iris, Gladio's younger sister. At that moment, life felt right. She had friends, she was helpful to others, her life had meaning. And she had found her father. No need to think about how all this would be taken from her eventually, right now she was happy.

"Thanks Gladio, I had an incredible time today." she said to the big guy, a smile on her lips.

"My pleasure. We should do that again." he replied, putting a hand around her shoulders.

A movement caught her eye then. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw someone with dark blonde hair and spectacles disappear round a corner, walking briskly.

They'd spent a whole day in a mine, looking for one of Noctis' Royal Arms. After having successfully defeated the monster lurking in the tunnels, they'd found a ghost bow that had belonged to one of the prince's ancestors. Now they were back in the open, and night had fallen, so they decided to rest at a haven. Prompto and Noctis were setting up the tent, and Ignis was igniting the stove. Lyne was about to ask him if he needed help, when a big hand fell on her shoulder.

"Hey Lyne, wanna help me fetch some wood for the fire?"

"Sure!" she answered, turning to follow Gladio.

Something made her turn back just a second. Ignis was pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes closed. She almost went to him, but then Gladio's booming voice came from some distance.

"You coming or what?"

They were collecting branches, or rather, Gladio was doing it on his own, with Lyne standing next to him, arms crossed on her chest, feeling pretty useless.

"What did you bring me here for? You look like you can do that very well by yourself."

"It's dark already, and I wouldn't mind having a little help if a daemon decides to come and play."

"Oh yeah, of course, hadn't thought of that."

Keeping an eye around, she paced, thinking.

"Gladio?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know if everything's fine with Ignis? He seems… upset."

The big guy stopped what he was doing to look at her, frowning.

"Of course everything's fine with Iggy, why would anything be wrong? You're just meeting the real him now that he's accustomed to your presence, is all."

The unkind remark, along with the aggressive tone he'd used, surprised her. Maybe it was her raised eyebrows that made him add, chuckling:

"Although I think he may have lost a bet some days ago, so he may just be a sore loser, for all I know."

Back at camp, while Gladio busied himself over the fire, Lyne went to Ignis, to offer him help and see if she could make him come over whatever was upsetting him. She was met with a polite, but sharp "No, I thank you Lyne but that won't be necessary" to which she found no answer, and after that she found she had no appetite.

"Okay I'm off to bed. Night guys."

She said that more to Prompto and Noctis, than to the other two, who were glaring at each other. Once she was in her bed, she heard only the sound of forks hitting plates and an occasional "Hey guys, everything all right? You look sullen all of a sudden" from Prompto, met by a growl from Gladio, which marked the end of conversation for the day.

Trying to cut off the sounds of the annoying lot outside, she closed her eyes, and started breathing slowly and deeply. Meditation had often helped her to sleep, although this time her goal was different. The moment she felt her mind drift off, she grasped her chance.

"Dad? Ramuh? Are you there?"

"There's a clever girl, finding out how to reach me without me even needing to tell her, I'm proud of you."

She hadn't even jumped at her father's powerful voice.

She could see him, although not so clearly as the other time. Only her mind had reached the astral plane, and it made everything seem blurry. She tried to focus, not wanting to lose the connection. He was floating near her, looking his true self, magical staff, robes and all, but at the same time he looked like he was her size.

"I needed to ask you a question."

"Ask away my child, and I will answer to the best of my ability". He wore the same kind smile he had the first time, although now it was his real face. She couldn't explain why, but it was as unsettling as it felt right.

"I noticed that some things are similar in Eos and in my world. And others are perfectly identical, like the language, and a kind of food I saw the other day, which are called Cup Noodles. It's the same thing, logo, font, label. How is it possible? Do you think some people travelled from one world to the other before I did?"

Ramuh looked puzzled, and she had a feeling that he was not used to that.

"I have never heard of such a thing before, but it is possible that some humans were able to visit other worlds, whether on their own, or with the help of magic. I cannot give you an answer now, but I promise you to look into it."

"Okay, thanks." She was disappointed, but tried not to show it. "Another thing: by any chance, would you be able to read every human's mind?"

"Only those who are linked to us. Why?"

"Oh that's not really important. It's just that two of my friends have been acting weird for some days now, and it would really help if I knew what was happening in their heads."

"Well I hope you will sort it out soon. Now, I can see your mind is passing to the world of slumber. Have a good night, child."

"Good night dad."

ooo

"Good night dad."

Ignis stopped moving. He wasn't sure he'd heard correctly at first, but then he realised Lyne was already asleep. She was dreaming of her family. She must be missing them so much, having spent three weeks in Eos without being able to contact them or let them know she was all right.

The others were not going to bed anytime soon, so he took the opportunity to watch the young woman sleeping. She looked peaceful, all the worries of the day erased from her pretty face. Her plump lips were slightly parted, and he had to resist the urge to kiss them. Why did he want to kiss her anyway? He had been stupid enough to let Gladio win the right to court her, and he couldn't back out now, not after what he'd told him. But at the same time, he knew what he'd said was right. They didn't have time for such petty things as love, with such an important mission to accomplish. So why did he feel so distraught and angry each time Gladio started flirting with her? They had been friends for many years now, and Gladio's way of acting with women had never bothered him before. If anything, he'd found it amusing to see how quick he grew bored and remained constantly on the prowl. He had never felt the urge to punch him as much as he did now. Why couldn't he put that behind him, start seeing Lyne merely as one of his companions, and push onward like he'd always done? Let's be frank: he knew she was going to fall for Gladio, sooner or later. They all did. There was nothing he could do about that, so he'd better deal with the news as best he could. But rejecting her help like he'd done tonight, although it had been for his own protection, was not going to help. She wouldn't understand, and seeing her upset would only increase his distress. Besides, if Gladio liked her half as much as he said, he would probably be mad at him for upsetting his girlfriend. No, the best course was to act as if everything was fine. He could certainly do that, right? That was the first lesson his uncle had given him when he had started his training as a royal advisor. Never show your weaknesses.

And whatever happened, he would be here for her when Gladio broke her heart.

ooo

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, I know how to fend for myself now."

"You sure you don't want to travel with us? I could always ask Iris to go with Talcott, Monica and Dustin, you know."

"For the hundredth time Gladio, yes, I'm sure! Now go, the others are waiting. I'll see you in Caem."

Lyne was still not sure whether she was going to be fine on her own, but right now, she needed time alone to think.

She watched as the car was leaving Lestallum, her sole friends in this world drifting away. A moment before getting in the Regalia, Ignis had looked like he was going to walk to her, but then his gaze had shifted to Gladio and he had taken his place in the driver's seat.

She didn't know what was the problem with the strategist. Maybe she'd done or said something offending, and he wanted to have nothing to do with her anymore? Or maybe that thing she'd thought there was between them was just a figment of her imagination. In any case, she was fed up with his behaviour. She'd tried to chat with him, he only gave her short answers and jumped on the first pretext to end the interaction. She'd tried to help him with cooking, but he was so tense when she was around, that he'd burnt diner several times until she gave up. The only moments when he acted normal around her, was in battles. He protected her when needed, and sometimes when their eyes met in the midst of danger, she became sure, for a millisecond at least, that he cared for her. But it wasn't him who came to her after victory. It wasn't Ignis who cheered her up when she thought she'd screwed up in battle. It wasn't Ignis who sat by her side at camp. Even though Gladio was the nicest guy she could imagine, she couldn't help feeling miserable, and she didn't know what she'd done to deserve it. So she'd decided that in her new life she was having no more of that kind of treatment, and taken her leave, at least for a few days. She would be with the guys soon enough.

She'd told Monica and Dustin to leave without her, that she had something she needed to do and that she'd catch a lift with someone later. They'd reluctantly accepted, but not after muttering about the orders they'd been given to protect her at all costs.

"And who has so little faith in me as to give such an order to you?" she'd felt compelled to ask.

"Basically everyone, but most of all, it was Mr Scientia, the king's advisor." Monica had replied.

Wow. What a surprise. So he refused to approach her, but he wanted to keep her safe. That made her even more angry with him.

Once she was alone in Lestallum, she spent the evening in one of the bars she'd been to with the guys. That was something she'd never done before, when she was someone else. But right now, in this new world, she was the daughter of a god, and nothing could prevent her from being free and happy. Nothing but some turquoise eyes which wouldn't meet hers…

Pushing that thought from her mind, Lyne spent a good time in the bar, chatting with strangers and drinking just enough to feel numbed to the throbbing pain in her heart. One man tried to hit on her, but she turned him down, and that was her signal to make her way back to her hotel room.

She was walking in one of the small streets of Lestallum, revelling in the night's fresh air, when she heard some footsteps behind her. At first she thought nothing of it, but after a time she started to have a bad feeling. She turned several times, but still the footsteps were behind her. Now she was sure of it: someone was following her, and they were probably not friendly. When she found herself in a dead end, she knew she had to act. Hiding behind a pile of boxes, she waited for her pursuer. Although she knew she could defend herself, she couldn't help feeling terrified. So much for Ignis wanting to keep her safe at all costs!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ignis couldn't stand it any more. After barely an hour of driving his companions and Iris toward Caem, he pulled over and turned to Gladio.

"Gladio, may I have a private word with you?"

Eyeing him suspiciously, the big guy got off the car and made his way to the railway. Turning back, he didn't wait for Ignis to talk.

"What's the matter Iggy?"

"Gladio, we've been friends for many years. I value our friendship greatly, but I cannot tolerate this situation any longer. I would normally have left the field clear for you, and you have probably noticed I tried my best to do just that. But this is proving too hard a task, and I am only a man. I…"

"Come on Iggy, spit it out."

Ignis sighed, the feeling of being trapped never wavering his determination.

"I like Lyne. I would be the happiest man on Eos, should she like me back. And even though I have tried very hard not to let my feelings interfere with my mission, I cannot leave her alone like that. I have decided to leave Noct in your care for the time being, and rejoin Lyne to take her safely to Caem. Should you wish to stop me from doing so, know that I am ready to fight you over this."

There. He'd said it. There was no going back now. Gladio remained silent for a few seconds, his gaze fixed on the Disc of Cauthess. Then he turned to Ignis, chuckling.

"Better late than never, huh? I wondered how long it would take you to finally realize that nobody but you had forbidden you to court her. I'm not going to stop you, because first I've gotta stay with Iris and Noct until we reach Caem, and then I feel like trusting Lyne to choose the man who will be best for her. And frankly, I'm sure I will enjoy the competition."

Ignis had not been expecting that. He was glad that Gladio understood, and thanked his friend before taking his leave. He saw the puzzled looks on Iris' and Noctis' faces, but right now, he couldn't care less what they thought. He was finally doing what was right, what his heart was telling him.

He gave a small smile at Prompto's thumbs up, and started toward Lestallum. It was going to be a long walk, but he knew it was worth it.

To be honest, his change of attitude was all thanks to Prompto. The blonde guy had gone to him one night when he'd found Ignis brooding on his own near the outlook in Lestallum, and asked him what was the matter. At first the royal advisor had tried to give him vague answers, but Prompto was having none of it. He'd blurted out suddenly:

"It's about Lyne, right? You like her?"

And just like that, Ignis had found himself confiding in his blonde friend, about his conflicting feelings between his attraction to the young woman, his friendship with Gladio, and his duty to Noct.

With the innocence that characterised Prompto, he'd told him "If you like her, you shouldn't try to hide your feelings behind your duty, because first that's a false excuse, and even though it's normal to be afraid, that shouldn't prevent you from following your heart. And second, you say you'd choose your duty to Noct over her, but you've been acting so weird lately, that I'm not sure you're helping Noct right now. Not to be offending or anything, but I feel like you would be much more helpful if you were your usual self."

Prompto had been right of course, he could see that now. He could already feel that going his separate way to protect Lyne was the best decision he had ever made, even if it meant leaving his liege in the care of others for a few days.

ooo

All of Lyne's body was tense with fear. Only adrenaline kept her going as she got ready to spring from her hiding spot to strike her pursuer. Still three more steps to go. Two… One… With a roar, she jumped at her attacker, summoning one of her daggers in the process. She managed to slam him into the wall behind, and pointed her weapon at his throat. That's when she took note of a pair of turquoise eyes, spectacles, and a very surprised look. She immediately let go of Ignis, backing several steps away.

"Ignis, I'm so sorry! What are you doing here?"

Never losing his composure, the lean man looked her in the eye (something he hadn't done in days, and that didn't escape her), and replied with a smile:

"I wanted to make sure you were alright after seeing you walking out of that bar looking quite inebriated, but I can see you are indeed perfectly well."

"But… I thought you were off to Caem with the others?"

"That was indeed my first plan. But after a few miles I realised I couldn't possibly let you fend for yourself. I had a feeling you wouldn't go with Dustin and Monica, and I decided to come back and stay with you, to see you safely to Caem, and… provide some friendly company along the road, should you wish to get that."

She didn't know what made her act. Maybe it was alcohol, maybe it was his behaviour of the last days. She spoke without even thinking.

"Oh right, thank you so much for playing the knight in shining armor with me! But please, tell me, did you decide that you would keep me safe after you started ignoring me for no apparent reason? I'm so fed up with your behaviour Ignis. First you're friendly, then you ignore me completely without giving me a reason, and now this, you think I need protection? And why, of all people, would I accept help from someone who's been acting like I didn't exist for the past two weeks?"

Ignis certainly hadn't expected her to react like that. He was staring at her, at a loss for words. He looked like he was going to lose the precious control he had over every aspect of his life. At that moment, this part of his personality infuriated Lyne even more. Not even waiting for his answer, she turned toward the open street, and started to run. She turned just once, to shout over her shoulder:

"You know what Iggy? Fuck off!"

She didn't even think where she was going. A flash of lightning, and she was gone.

ooo

Ignis was left standing in the middle of the small street where he had just encountered Lyne. He couldn't move, couldn't think. His mind was blank. If his situation hadn't been so depressing, he might have burst out laughing, something he very seldom did. As if it wasn't enough, rain started pouring down on him just seconds after the young woman had disappeared, the weather repeating her last words in its own way.

He stayed there for an eternity, attempting to fathom what had just happened, deciding on the proper reaction to have. He had just abandoned his companions to be with the woman he liked, just for her to tell him to fuck off before seemingly jumping into another world. What was he to make of this?

At last, when he was sure she was not going to come back, Ignis made himself move his drenched limbs to the bar Lyne had just left, and for the first time in his life, got himself drunk.

ooo

Lyne didn't realise what she had just done until after a few minutes of looking around her, not knowing where she was. The astral plane. She had physically travelled to the astral plane, without even meaning to in the first place. Through her rage, she couldn't help feeling proud of herself. And now that she thought of it, this was the perfect place for her to be right now. Nobody could reach her there. She was perfectly alone. Alone to think, alone to calm down. She had intended to come here to get to Caem anyway, but she'd thought she was going to wander in Eos for a few days before asking her father for help. Well, now that she was there, she might as well get to Caem. At least if she travelled there right now she wouldn't have to see Ignis for a few more days. His beautiful eyes, his kindness, his chivalrous ways, his new habit of ignoring her. The hurt look on his face when she'd told him to fuck off. She didn't want to think about the consequences her reaction would have. As her anger subsided though, she was already regretting her harsh words. He'd turned back to be with her, he'd wanted to be at her side through the trip to Caem, and she'd turned her back on him without even letting him explain. As always, she'd let her anger speak, instead of stopping to think. She would have to make it up to him, say she was sorry. And now that she had calmed down, she felt the need to come back to Lestallum at once, and hold Ignis in her arms.

Having acted out of anger, she had no idea how that place worked. Did she have to think of the place she wanted to travel to to get there? Or did she have to actually move forward, find some kind of portal?

"Okay, let's find a way out…"

ooo

Ignis woke up in his hotel room without having any memory of getting back there the night before. He cracked his eyes open, and realised at once it was a mistake. His head hurt like mad, and the sunlight pouring in through the window wasn't helping. He was still wearing his shirt and suit jacket, but when he glanced under the covers, he saw that he naked underneath. That's when he noticed that there was a naked woman snoring softly next to him. He'd already felt like he was going to throw up, but that did the trick. Getting up as swiftly as possible without losing what was left of his balance, he staggered to the bathroom just in time.

Through his clouded mind, Ignis tried to find his senses. If he guessed correctly, he had just gotten drunk and had sex with a person he didn't know, just to cope with his misery after Lyne's rejection.

So much for keeping in control and having an adult reaction…

When he walked back to the bedroom after having taken a sobering cold shower, the young woman was awake. She had turned the TV on, and was watching the news.

"Hum…Good morning miss?"

"Hey handsome." the woman replied, not even looking at him.

"Just to get things clear, did we…"

"Hmm? Oh, no, you passed out before undressing properly, so I figured I might as well sleep here."

"Thank the Six…"

Relief spread through Ignis like a healing balm. Even though he was far from being proud of himself, the damage wasn't as bad as he'd initially thought.

"Please excuse me, miss, for anything inappropriate I may have done or said the previous night. I was not myself. I must be on my way to find a...friend. I'll leave money to pay for the room, and you can order breakfast too. I wish you a pleasant day."

It was all Ignis could do not to run out of the hotel room.

ooo

It felt like hours and Lyne was still stuck in the astral plane. How was she ever going to find her way to either Caem or Lestallum? Every attempt at getting out of here had been met with nothing but failure. She was stuck in this world, when all she wanted was to go to Ignis and apologise. For the hundredth time she cursed herself for her stupidity, and tried to calm down and focus.

"Well well, beloved daughter, what are you doing here on your own and why didn't you call out to me?"

Lyne turned toward her father, who was once more towering over her. It felt so much different from the time she'd seen him in her dream. She tried not to back away, keeping in mind that this was her father, although seeing him like that was still quite impressive. She felt incredibly glad to see him, and at the same time it was as if she'd been caught red-handed, not knowing what she'd did wrong.

"Glad to see you too?"

Under her father's stern gaze, she knew she shouldn't be here. He sighed, and in a loud pop took her to her childhood bedroom once again, but without transforming into her grandfather this time. He looked strangely out of place in such a casual place.

"Lyne, it is not safe for you to come here without me, or without knowing how to travel safely. You are lucky I was the one to find you. Please keep in mind that the other Astrals live here, and any one of them could have stumbled upon you. Do you understand the risk you would have been in then?"

She hadn't thought of that. Realisation hit her, and she felt quite vulnerable all of a sudden.

"Yes, I see it now. I'm sorry Dad, I hadn't thought of that. But to be honest, I travelled here without even meaning to. I was angry, I wished to be away, there was this flash of lightning, and… Tadaa, here I am."

"I see. Humans tend to be led by their emotions, so being half a human yourself, it is quite normal. Even though it is not safe for you to come here without me, I am going to teach you how to get out of the astral plane without my help, so that if you happen to travel here by mistake, you will not get stuck. Although you might as well have called me, as I'm sure you know." He winked at her.

"I wanted to try and figure this out myself." She replied with a sheepish smile.

ooo

After having spent hours looking for Lyne to no avail, Ignis had left Lestallum, hitchhiking his way to Caem. It took him longer than he'd thought to get there, but he didn't mind the time alone from his friends. He dreaded the moment he would have to face Gladio, have to deal with the smirk on the big guy's face, telling him "I'd told you she would know who was best for her". He would just have to keep a stiff upper lip, and focus on his duty as Noct's royal advisor. Most of all, he dreaded to be reunited with Lyne once more. She was going to be mad at him still, and she would probably read in his eyes the guilt of what he'd almost done after getting drunk… But at the same time, he had no idea what had happened to her after she'd left him. Had she made it safely to Caem? Had she gotten lost in whatever world she'd travelled to? And how was he going to forgive himself if harm had come to her?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

When Gladio saw the beaten look on Ignis' face as he walked up slowly to the little cottage they were staying at, he couldn't help but smirk a little. The royal advisor was his friend, and part of him felt sorry for him, but at the same time, he had warned him Lyne would chose the one she thought best for her.

Sure enough, the king's shield had been a little worried after letting Ignis go look for the young woman. He had seen how they looked at each other, and he feared a little to see them arrive in Caem hand in hand. So when he saw Lyne open the door of the cottage that morning, it was all he could do not to let out a roar of triumph. She hadn't been very explicit on whether she had been with Ignis or not, but she sounded a little sullen when talking about him, so something told Gladio that they had indeed seen each other, and that things didn't go the way the bespectacled man had planned.

And the circles around Ignis' eyes as he came to stand before his friends gave him all the confirmation he needed.

" Hey Iggy, good to see you mate!" piped up Prompto.

" Good day." he replied simply, his eyes looking everywhere for a familiar figure. When he saw her nowhere, he couldn't stand it any more.

" Has Lyne rejoined you yet?" he blurted out, trying to keep the worry off his voice.

" Yeah, she came here this morning. She mustn't be far." Noctis provided.

Visible relief surged through Ignis. Ruthless, Gladio couldn't help himself from teasing his friend and rival.

" Didn't you two travel together then?"

He was very curious as to which version Ignis would give him.

" Lyne and I... got separated along the way, and I wasn't able to find her after that. I am glad to know she made it back safely." Even though discomfort was unmistakeable in Ignis' answer, he had still managed to provide quite a convincing lie.

Gladio decided to seize his chance then. Ignis had disappeared in the bathroom to take a shower, and Prompto and Noctis had decided to go to the sea shore to take some pictures and maybe fish a little.

He found Lyne sitting on a wooden fence overlooking the sea. A tree shaded her from the sun, and she was looking at the horizon, deep in thought. When she noticed him, she put a small smile on her face.

" Hey, Big Guy, what's up?"

" Do you have a moment to talk?" He suddenly felt very shy, and he wasn't used to that.

" Sure."

He stepped over the fence to come and sit next to her, thinking how to put things. Lyne was looking at him, expectant.

" We've known each other for some time now." Oh great Gladio, wonderful start! The young woman seemed to agree with his thoughts, as she replied, unsure:

" Yeah?"

" Well, we get along great, don't you think?" Gladio wanted to bury his head in the sand of the beach spreading before his eyes.

Her gaze changed then. She knew where this was going. Her eyes widened, and she raised her eyebrows, looking taken aback.

" Oh, Gladio... You're the best friend I could hope for, I love spending time with you, but... I don't see you that way... I'm so sorry."

She looked so uncomfortable, face crimson and not knowing where to look. Gladio tried to come over his disappointment to help her.

" No problem, Sweety. I can't say I'm used to being turned down, but I should have seen we didn't have enough in common to..."

" No, no, you got it wrong Gladio! I'm sure you would be the sweetest boyfriend and the two of us would probably work! But... I fell in love with Ignis the day I met him..."

There it was. Competition was over.

" Well I can't say I hadn't seen anything, the way you two looked at each other. Had I known I had no chance, I wouldn't have hit on you." He laughed out loud. "Heh, if someone had told me that Specs would best me at winning a lady's heart one day, I would have laughed in their face so hard!"

He made to stand, but Lyne's hand caught his arm.

" Thanks Gladio, for understanding, and for being there when I needed you. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been so supportive when Ignis started ignoring me."

" Huh, well, that might have to do with me though... He decided to distance himself from you because I'd told him I was going to hit on you, but... Truth is, the man's as smitten with you as you are with him. And by the way, he's just arrived, you should go talk to him." He winked at her, and made his way back to the cottage. He felt like hitting a bar in the closest town that evening.

ooo

Ignis had spent two days in near complete silence. He knew he had to face Lyne about what had happened. He needed to apologise for ignoring her, needed to explain. And he felt the need to make up for his stupid actions in Lestallum. The thing was, he had no idea how to express his feelings. He who was usually so good with words didn't know where to begin. Several times, he'd caught her staring at him when they were all together at the diner table, but she quickly averted her gaze, blushing slightly. He could see that Gladio was less flirtatious with her, and he was grateful to his friend for that. He must look truly miserable if even Gladio restrained himself.

That morning though, he had decided that the situation was at an end. If they were to keep on travelling together, Ignis and Lyne should solve their issues, for the group's sake if not for Ignis' well-being.

He could feel cold sweat forming along his spine as he made his way to the place facing the sea where Lyne loved to spend her waking hours in deep thought.

Halfway through though, he heard Prompto call out to him.

" Hey Iggy! Gladio wants to talk to us all, could you find Lyne and tell her to come here!"

Ignis waved his hand at his friend to acknowledge his request, and resumed his walk. It seemed he had missed his chance, once again.

He stopped a few feet from the young woman. She had her face in her hands, and hadn't heard him coming. He was petrified. He cleared his throat, and called out her name softly. She jumped, and her gaze darted to him. He thought he saw fear in her eyes, but he couldn't be sure as she made herself smile shyly. He realised he was staring when she raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to talk. Instead of running back to the cottage like a coward, he turned slowly, and not looking at her, managed to say:

" Gladio wants to talk to us. He requires your presence."

" Hum... okay..." she sounded disappointed, but Ignis was too scared to turn back to her. He started the walk down to the cottage, not looking back to see if she was following, while mentally killing himself a million times.

ooo

Gladio had decided to part ways for a few days, to deal with some personal things. Lyne supposed that her turning him down had something to do with his decision, though she was sure his main reason for leaving the side of the prince must be far more serious.

He was to depart on the morrow, and Lyne couldn't help feeling a tinge of sadness at losing her friend. Prompto and Noctis were quite inseparable, so who was she going to turn to? She hadn't managed to open up to Ignis yet, as Gladio's revelation had scared her even more. And seeing how he kept acting around her, she supposed that what she'd done had completely blown up her chances. She knew that she should apologise all the same, but she hadn't worked up the courage to talk to him. And the way he'd just spoken to her wasn't helping. She was walking among the trees near the sea shore, trying to find a new spot to think in peace, when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned, only to find him walking to her, a determined look in his beautiful eyes. A surge of panic threatened to take over her as she struggled not to start running, but she supposed they had avoided each other long enough. Best be done with it than let the awkward situation further settle in. She waited until he came to stand before her, and made herself look into his eyes. She couldn't tell if he looked frightened or if he was about to tell her how much he despised her, so she decided she was going to talk first. He could always express his contempt once she was done with her apologies.

" Ignis, I... I wanted to apologise for what I told you the other day in Lestallum. I was angry, but that doesn't justify my behaviour. I should have listened to you instead of shouting at you and running away."

Ignis lowered his gaze, and she could see a half smile form on these enticing lips of his. She waited for his reply, her hands sweaty and her legs slowly turning to jelly.

" There's no need to apologise, Lyne. I am the one who should present his apologies to you for my appalling behaviour. I shouldn't have ignored you like that, and even though I had reasons that seemed legitimate to me at the time, I know full well that it's not a proper way to treat a lady that I..."

He closed his eyes, looking for his words. Hope crept through Lyne's mind.

" That I respect."

Yep, chances full blown, she thought, averting her gaze as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't respond.

" I wanted to talk to you, to suggest that you go with Gladio on his quest tomorrow." Lyne's gaze flicked to Ignis' when she heard that.

" Do you want me gone?" she croaked.

" No, not at all", he replied as his hand made his way to Lyne's shoulder, squeezing her reassuringly.

" It's just that, seeing what the two of you share, I thought that maybe, you would want to stick with him to... have some private time together."

" What do you mean by that?"

" Well, most young couples love to spend time together, I assumed the two of you wouldn't be any different."

She laughed through her tears.

" You think Gladio and I are together?"

She thought she could see hope sparkling in his eyes, and that gave her the strength to go on.

"Oh boy, it's true then, guys are truly stupid" she jested.

Ignis didn't seem to understand.

"Lyne, maybe, you are not aware of that yet, but Gladio likes you very much. He…"

"I know how Gladio feels. He told me days ago! And he was very understanding when I told him my heart belonged to another." She stressed the last word, raising her eyebrows at him.

She saw a series of emotions pass on Ignis' face then. Despair, as he thought she talked about someone else. Jealousy, as he started to envy the man who owned her heart. And, when her gaze remained locked with his, sudden realisation.

"Oh."

He stayed there, mute and petrified. After an awkward minute, Lyne realised that she'd probably been mistaken, that his feelings for her had indeed died that night in Lestallum. She started to turn, to leave him to his thoughts.

"I'll just…" "No." He'd said that and at the same time he'd grabbed her wrist. Pulling her gently to him, he closed the distance between them, and put his other hand around her waist. Lyne could feel her heart racing in her chest as he leaned in, his lips hovering just over hers, asking for permission. She didn't even bother to grant it, taking the lead instead, pressing her mouth to his. Their kiss was soft at first, almost hesitant. She put her hand behind his neck, deepening the kiss as she pressed her body against him. She could feel heat spreading in all the fibers of her being, and that felt delicious. Ignis ran his tongue along her bottom lip, and she granted him entrance willingly. As they explored each other's mouth, Lyne couldn't help notice how perfect it felt, how tuned the both of them were. Ignis groaned softly, and made himself part from her, never ceasing to look into her eyes. He raised a hand to stroke her cheek gently, and, panting slightly, whispered:

"You're wonderful."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Come." Ignis said, taking Lyne's hand in his own and starting for the sea shore. They found a quiet place between rocks, with a beautiful view on the waves, and sat down, Lyne settling herself between Ignis' legs, and leaning on him, at peace. He kissed the top of her head, never letting go of her hand. They stayed like that a long time, neither wanting to disturb their sweet little bubble.

After a while though, Ignis remembered something.

"Darling?"

"Mmh?" Lyne's voice sounded like she'd been lost in a daydream.

"May I ask you a question?"

"You can ask me anything."

"Where did you go that night in Lestallum when you disappeared?"

He felt her tense in his arms. She kept silent for a few seconds, before turning to meet his gaze.

"Do you trust me?"

"Given the way we are currently cuddling, I'd say I do", he replied with a smile.

"Okay, this may sound crazy but... I can travel to the astral plane. In a way it works like Noctis' warping, the only difference is that I can travel over longer distances. I didn't know I could do it, until that day when I got so angry, and it just happened."

"I see. But pray tell, why would I find that notion crazy, seeing the world we live in? There are so many things that seem unlikely in the first place... Your liking me for instance."

She smiled at him in just the way he had wished her to smile for him the day they had met. He felt like the happiest man on Eos just then.

"On the contrary, my dear Mr Scientia. It is your liking me that was highly unlikely. I'm nothing special, while you... To me, you are perfect."

His heart melted.

Taking her head in his hands, he pressed the softest kiss on her lips, in an attempt to convey just what she meant to him, for in that instant words were not enough. She responded eagerly, turning completely to lean on him, their chests touching and their legs intertwined. Her lips parted as she moaned softly, and he took that opportunity to start exploring her sweet mouth again. He could feel his pants tighten as he slipped his hands under Lyne's shirt to stroke her soft skin. She buried her hands in his hair, and the feeling of her fingers against his skin made him groan under his breath. The way she was rubbing herself on his growing erection was soon going to be too much to bear.

"Stop." Panting, he took her by the shoulders, pushing gently.

"What...?"

"As much as I want this, I wish for our first time to be perfect, with a nice room, a soft bed, and probably a real date before that. You deserve so much more than a rushed first time in the sand, half-hidden behind rocks."

Ignis could see the disappointment on Lyne's face, but her expression soon changed and she gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"See? Perfect, like I said."

Back at the cottage, Ignis and Lyne cooked dinner together for the rest of the team, and they were both visibly happy to have all these moments back. Ignis hadn't realised how much he loved having her around until after he'd decided to distance himself from her, and now that they were back to normal it was as if air had been given back to him. Although he was not into any kind of public display of affection, they enjoyed a proximity that had not been there before, and he could tell that the change in their attitude toward each other hadn't escaped the others. Several times while cooking and during dinner, Lyne's hand or elbow brushed against Ignis' as if by accident, but when he looked at her after the third time, the smirk she wore told him that she was doing it on purpose. If he was honest with himself though, Ignis was quite enjoying her teasing. When he felt her calf rubbing against his under the table though, things started to get out of control. He stood up quickly and started to clear the table. He was sure that Gladio had noticed the red creeping on his cheeks, but the big guy said nothing, turning instead to Talcott to listen to the child's harmless ramble about his newest cactuar figure.

A few minutes later, he saw Lyne look at him under her lashes, and still wearing the same smirk on her face, as she exited the cottage. Waiting a bit so as to make things a little less obvious, he followed her at last. Outside, the night's fresh air helped him regain his senses. He spotted the young woman as she walked up to the lighthouse, and fell into step behind her. When he joined her behind the building, she looked at him, suddenly shy.

"Hey", she said with a smile.

He didn't even take the time to answer her. His heart racing in his chest, his blood boiling in his veins, and the tightness in his pants got the better of his control. He took her by the shoulders, and pinned her against the wall of the lighthouse, as he pressed his lips against hers. All trace of softness was gone from that kiss. It was only pure desire talking through him. Her first reaction was to gasp at his sudden harshness, but she quickly responded to his kiss. When he started to trail soft kisses against her throat and shoulder, she moaned and buried her hands in his hair. He was on the brink of losing what remained of his self-control right here and right now.

He got to his senses in the blink of an eye when he felt her hands starting to unbutton his dress shirt. This was not what he wanted deep down, no matter how hard he wanted her right now. He stopped kissing her, his swollen lips hovering just above hers, one finger trailing slowly over the fabric covering her pussy. She tried to resume the kiss, but Ignis moved away, depriving her of what she craved for.

"Darling, you are such a tease... Here was I this afternoon, talking about taking you on a proper date for our first time, and then you do this to me? I had no idea you could be such a naughty girl..."

"Shut up and do me", she replied, breathless.

He tutted, and removed her hands from the buttons of his shirt.

"No no no, we are going to do this my way... And it will be a way to punish you as well..."

She arched her back so that Ignis' hand rubbed her sex. Gods, she was good at that. He closed his eyes for one second, before stepping back, leaving her panting and wanting.

"Let's see who can play the teasing game better", he said, a smirk on his lips as he left her there.

ooo

This was proving to be so much more difficult than she'd thought. On the morrow, they had seen Gladio off and then had departed for the place Talcott had indicated on the map and where they were supposed to look for some mithril ore. Prompto had insisted on Lyne taking the passenger seat, and so she was sitting next to Ignis. Several times during the trip he made a movement as if he was going to stroke Lyne's knee, only for his arm to change its course and take his can of Ebony from the car's cup holder. The man was good at teasing, she could grant him that. She tried to act as if it did nothing to her, but she wasn't sure her pressing her thighs together went unnoticed.

When they stopped for the night, midway to the Versperpool, Ignis chose a haven instead of the hotels and campers they'd just passed. She knew where this was going, and she soon proved to be right: Ignis chose to sleep as far from her as possible in the little tent the four of them shared. He was driving Lyne nuts, but fortunately Noctis and Prompto seemed oblivious to the battle of wills that was taking place between them.

They had to fight a few imperial squads to enter the area, but soon enough Ignis was parking the Regalia near their destination.

They were soon met by one of the people they wanted to see the least: the man Lyne had first encountered at the military base where they'd found the Regalia, Ardyn. Ignis had told her he was the chancellor of Niflheim, the country that had destroyed their home. Surprisingly, the man was friendly with them. In an odd way, but he said he wanted to help them, as he'd done when they'd met Ravus the other day. A few minutes later they found themselves being accompanied to the nearby dungeon with the woman who'd tried to stop them in Archeole, Aranea. Lyne didn't like her. She was over confident, arrogant, underdressed, and more importantly, she worked for the Empire.

Once they got inside the dungeon, she decided she could add another thing to her list: the dragoon knight had a tendency to stand too close to Ignis for Lyne's liking. This, added to Ignis' incredibly successful teasing, was infuriating her. That didn't go unnoticed by the group, as Lyne's fighting was distinctly affected by her state of mind: the daemons they encountered in the dungeon were falling like flies around her, whether killed by her daggers, or simply wiped out by her power.

Ignis was visibly worried by the young woman's growing rage, and after one fight on the second floor, he came to her while the others resumed their progress. A hand on her shoulder and a concerned look in his eyes, he held her there for a while.

"Are you alright darling?" he whispered.

"Perfectly fine!" she replied, loud enough for the others to hear. She could see Aranea turn back, a smirk on her pretty face. Closing her eyes for one second, she tried to calm down.

"Sorry Iggy. It's nothing. I guess I'm just a little bit... tense." She gave him a knowing look, and got an evil smirk from her boyfriend in return.

"Be patient, love. I'm sure we can find a way for you to... release your tension."

"You're not playing fair, you know that?"

"Perhaps. But may I refresh your memory as to who started this little game in the first place?"

He led her by the hand to follow after the others. As brief as it had been, his touch had indeed helped her relax a little. She even managed to admire their surroundings. Even though it was a bit nerve-racking, this water ceiling was extremely beautiful.

They soon managed to defeat the huge bird-thing that was looming in the heart of the dungeon, and were rewarded with what they had come for: a piece of mithril ore, the last thing they needed to repair the boat that would take them to Altissia. Once outside, the dragoon knight proposed to give them a lift to Lestallum with her airship, as they apparently needed to get there to have the mithril transformed so that Cid could use it to repair the boat.

The trip to Lestallum seemed endless. Lyne had never boarded an airship before, but with nothing to do but watch Ignis, whose gaze, full of promises, never left hers, the excitement she should have felt was completely directed at something else. Or rather someone…

Noctis had successfully dealt with the mess at the power plant, and they had been surprised to find that the mysterious hunter who'd accompanied him was none other than Gladio, who'd earned two more scars while on his solitary trip. The big guy gave Lyne a hug, and she couldn't help but look at Ignis with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. We're still playing, right? she thought. She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she was almost sure she'd seen Ignis' beautiful eyes darken, and his jaw tense at the view of Gladio touching Lyne.

Once the group of five had been reunited, they decided to spend the night in Lestallum. Lyne was sure Ignis was going to wait some more, he seemed to be enjoying himself very much while teasing her. But all of a sudden, she felt his hand grip hers, and he told the others that he wanted to have the night with you to show you a wonderful restaurant he'd just discovered in the city. The others left with lots of smirks and winks, but at last, they were alone. She didn't dare speak, but Ignis voiced her own thoughts: "What would you say if we skipped dinner tonight, darling?"


	12. Chapter 12 - NSFW

Chapter 12

They were once again driving to Caem. The only change was that, for once, Noctis was driving, as the other three had decided that Ignis looked too tired to be in charge that day. That was more than fine with Lyne, who was sitting next to her boyfriend, her head leaning on his shoulder while she dozed off. He was stroking the knuckles of her left hand without thinking of it, or at least it looked like it. Nevertheless, it sent heat through all of the young woman's fibers. With him, the simplest touch felt erotic, she couldn't explain why. Opening her eyes, she looked at him while he remained intent on the road - leaving the wheel to Noctis never failed to worry him and it was all he could do to contain all the remarks he had in mind every time the prince did something that wasn't to his taste in terms of driving. She remembered staring at him in just about the same way, the first morning after her arrival in Eos. She had then thought of her lover as "not handsome, but charming". As she was admiring him in the Regalia, she wondered how she could ever have thought that he was not handsome. He was the man she had always dreamed of. He was witty, smart, incredibly sexy, charming, sweet, and a perfect gentleman. And his lovemaking… She couldn't help clenching her thighs as she remembered their first night together.

ooo

After they had parted ways with the others, Ignis had taken Lyne by the hand, and they had made for the Leville, with Lyne having some trouble following the young man's quick pace. Panting a little, she chuckled.

"Well well, aren't we eager…"

Ignis turned his gaze to her, and gave her a mischievous smile. "Sorry, love. We can stop a little if you need rest."

Lyne elbowed him in the arm before resuming the walk toward the hotel.

"As far as I know, it wasn't me who suggested skipping dinner. So I'd say there's been enough teasing for the both of us."

"Touché." He replied as they entered the hall.

Ignis booked the best room, and ushered her to the door. Once he'd unlocked it, he shoved her inside, closed the door, took her by the wrist to pull her to him and slammed her against said door. With both his hands on the wood, circling her head, he leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. Lyne responded eagerly, opening her lips to grant his tongue access while her hands started to unbutton his dress shirt. How she had wanted to touch his perfectly defined pecs! He soon started to work on her throat, kissing and biting her soft skin. Lyne moaned softly under his ministrations while her fingers travelled down to his abs, then to his belt. She felt his hands on hers, telling her to go slowly, and then the same hands were suddenly under her butt, lifting her as she spread her legs and clung to his waist. He never stopped kissing her as he carried her off to the giant bed, her arms wrapped around his neck. She took the opportunity to bite the soft skin of his throat, enticing a muffled groan from the young man. He had probably intended to put her softly on the mattress, but after that the gesture was far less gentle as he immediately crawled after her to climb on her, pinning her to the bed. Exactly what she'd wanted, to feel his strong chest against her own, and his hard erection against her groin. She moaned softly in his ear as he resumed his kissing. He straightened a little to take off his shirt, his mouth never leaving hers. She couldn't help running her hands all over his handsome chest, not resisting the urge to pinch one of his nipples in the process. He groaned, taking her hands into one of his and pressing them onto the bed over their heads. He took that opportunity to take off her blouse, exposing her bra, of which he made short work, tossing it away in a swift gesture. For one split second she felt completely vulnerable as her lover admired her naked chest, until he said, eyes full of reverence:

"You're so beautiful…"

She melted, red creeping to her cheeks.

"Though that colour suits you perfectly, my love, you shouldn't blush when I am merely stating the truth…" He added. Not knowing how to respond to those words, she took his face in her hands, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. His hands travelled from her cheek to her throat, then to her breasts, followed closely by his expert mouth, which kissed and sucked her in all the right places. She was already so wet for him and he hadn't even touched her down there yet. Remembering what she'd been about to do an instant before, her hands found Ignis' belt again, successfully unbuckling it this time. Her hand passed the elastic band of his boxers to stroke his hard length and she heard him groan against the skin of her chest. Suddenly she couldn't feel him any more, and he was kneeling by the bed, removing her shoes and socks carefully, as if she was a porcelain doll he was scared of breaking. Her pants soon followed, joining the rest of her clothes on the floor. When Ignis stood again, Lyne took both his hands in hers, pulling him to her on the bed. But instead of letting him climb on her once again, she pushed on his chest so that he leaned on his back. She trailed soft kisses first on his mouth, going south to work on his throat, pecs, suckling on each of his nipples in turn, and then finally reaching his pants. She climbed off the bed, kneeling in turn to remove his shoes, socks and pants. He made to protest:

"Love, come back on the bed, you don't have to..."

"Please, let me."

She took her sweet time removing her lover's pants, leaning on him and brushing her nose on his erection while doing so. He gasped at the contact, and even more so when Lyne travelled back up, trailing soft kisses all over his body on the way to his lips.

When their lips met though, she suddenly found herself under him without knowing how. Their hands intertwined above their heads, he kissed her passionately, grinding his length against her wet groin. She arched her back to meet his movements, and earned a groan in return. She couldn't stand it anymore. She gestured to him to remove his boxers, and soon their underwear were discarded like the rest of their clothes. Instead of feeling self conscious once naked, Lyne felt incredibly empowered and aroused. She had no time to dwell on these thoughts though, as she suddenly felt Ignis' hand stroking her folds, making her moan softly in his mouth.

He inserted two fingers inside her, and the feeling of him was pure bliss.

"Oh darling you're so wet..."

"Please Iggy, I need you inside... Now..." she managed to groan, her voice raspy with desire as she stroked his rock hard penis.

"But of course, my love..." he replied in a whisper, as wanting as her.

He aligned his shaft with her dripping sex, and when he parted her folds to enter her, she couldn't contain her moan.

He buried himself in her so slowly, her eyes fluttered at the delicious feeling of his skin against her walls. He gave her some time to adjust to him, and when she felt pleasure starting to radiate from his filling her, she nodded to him to start moving.

Still holding her hands, he started to thrust into her, slowly at first, watching her with reverence as pleasure started to build inside her. She met him thrust for thrust, moaning without restraint as she hooked her legs around his waist to deepen their coupling. He buried his face in her neck, groaning more loudly as he came closer to his release, quickening his pace, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling the room. She could feel him stroking just the right spot inside of her, and her body tensed as her orgasm built up.

"Oh Iggy, yes, oh yes..." she moaned in his ear as she fell apart around him, her walls clenching around his length.

The pressure was just what he needed to find his very own release, and he growled loudly as he came inside her, pumping a few more times until he went soft. He lifted up his head to kiss her gently, moving to pull out of her, but she gripped his firm butt to hold him in place.

"Please... Stay a little more. I love to feel you inside of me. It makes me feel… Complete."

She could feel his smile against her cheek as he nuzzled her nose tenderly.

"I love you."

At first she wasn't sure she'd heard correctly, then his words sunk in. A single tear rolled on her cheek. She couldn't find her voice. Taking her silence for rejection, Ignis rolled on his side, cold replacing the warmth of his body around Lyne. He sat on the edge of the bed, her back to her.

"I apologise... I should not have said that. It was most certainly too soon. But I assumed that... As you may have so little time left with m- us..."

"Ignis." She cut in, a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. It's not too soon. I was only left speechless by your words... You have no idea how I much love you, how I'm afraid to lose you when..."

He turned to her and came to lean beside her again, taking her in his arms and holding her head against his chest. He pressed a soft kiss on the top of her head, and she fell asleep to the sound of his beating heart.

ooo

"We're there, love." Ignis' voice took her out of her slumber, and Lyne realised that Noctis was parking the Regalia in Caem. It had been a wonderful month of hunts, stolen kisses and getaways in the woods, and she still couldn't believe how happy she was. Even though she was a little bit afraid of meeting another Astral in Altissia, the description Ignis had made of the town made her eager to visit it. She tried not to think of what it meant in terms of her time in Eos, trying to focus on the happiness her friends brought her instead.

Ever the gentleman, Ignis got out of the car, and held out his hand to help her. The gesture was so sweet, it brought a smile to her lips. She could see her boyfriend beam whenever she gave him that smile, and that made her feel so special.

ooo

That evening, the last one they spent in Caem before sailing to Altissia, was the definition of perfection for Ignis. He had cooked for the whole group, with the assistance of Iris and Lyne, and had been praised for his new recipe, which he had named Carp of the Diem and had been eager to try after Noctis had caught that impressive fish that morning.

He had chatted amicably with Dustin and Monica, all the while holding Lyne's hand. After cleaning the table, they had watched Prompto and Noctis fight in a game of darts, Ignis seated on the couch, an arm around her love's shoulder while he read the last issue of his cooking magazine. When Prompto had beaten the prince for the tenth time in a row, Ignis decreed that it was high time for bed since they had decided to depart early for Altissia the next day.

When he entered the little room for two the others had insisted Lyne and him took for themselves (Noct had once walked on them while they were at it in their hotel room, thinking everybody was out for the night, and afterwards they had been required to take a separate room every time they stayed at a hotel), he found Lyne standing in front of the open window, looking at the full moon. He came to stand behind her, circling her shoulders with his arms, and she rested her head against his chest. They stayed like that for a few minutes, savouring the quiet moment. Ignis kissed Lyne's throat tenderly, and he felt her shiver under his touch.

"You're cold darling, come to bed."

"Sure. There's no one like you to make me hot anyway", she replied, a mischievous smile forming on her beautiful lips.

The night promised to be as perfect as the evening.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Pain. Darkness. Fear. That was all he could remember at first.

He passed in and out of consciousness, with no notion of time, day and night looking the same.

After a while he was aware of a hand, never leaving his, stroking his knuckles softly. He tried to crack his eyes open, but for some reason, found he could not. He tried to squeeze the hand, but his body was not responding. After that, he was lost to oblivion again. He heard sobbing from a distance, it belonged to a woman. Remotely, he wondered who it was, and thought that something horrible must have happened for her to cry like that. He felt sad for her, wanted to comfort her, tell her it would be all right eventually.

He woke up suddenly, feeling lost. He was alone, the hand was gone, he still couldn't open his eyes. He tried to sit up, his breathing quickening as panic surged through him. He felt two strong hands on his shoulders, pushing him back on the mattress.

"Hey, hey Iggy, calm down, it's all right. Prompto, he's awake, go wake Lyne."

Ignis heard some rushed footsteps receding from the room. Wanting to see who was there with him, he reached up to his eyes, trying to take off the thing that was blindfolding him.

"You shouldn't take that off yet, the healers said it would take a few more days." came what sounded like Gladio's growl.

"Gladio? What happened?" Ignis croaked, his voice hoarse from days of sleep.

Only silence answered him.

As despair and a paralysing fear were creeping up in his mind, he heard the door open again, two pairs of feet entering the room. Someone sat on the bed to his right, their weight making the mattress cave in a little. All of a sudden, the hand was back. Soft skin brushed against his, and he felt Lyne press a desperate kiss to his knuckles.

Still, no one was talking. Ignis was starting to lose his patience. He shifted his weight on the bed, and opened his mouth to demand answers.

"Okay guys, I think it would be best if... I took things over from here." Lyne's voice sounded strained, as if she was trying not to cry.

"We'll be in the room next door if you need us." Gladio replied.

Ignis felt a hand on his shoulder, and two pairs of feet walked away.

Lyne took a deep breath and sighed. She kissed his hand again, and he heard her sniff.

"My love, please... I need to know what happened..." Ignis' voice came as a plea this time.

"I'm sorry." she replied, taking several deep breaths. "Darling, what is the last thing you remember?"

Ignis searched his memories hard for any clue about his present state.

"We were helping with the evacuation of the Altissians... Noct had gone to meet the Hydraean to forge the Covenant... I remember us fighting some imperials. I think... I think you were in danger. Has anything happened to you?" he added in alarm.

"No, honey, I'm fine. And all thanks to you" her voice was almost a sob. "You saved me, because I was careless, you took the blow for me, and now... Oh Iggy... The healers told us they don't know if you will ever be able to see again..."

Some buzzing was clouding Ignis' ears suddenly. A cripple. That's what he had become. Although there was no way he could come to regret what he'd done if it meant his love's life, all the implications of his new condition were slowly popping into his mind. He was never going to see her face, her smile again.

He realised Lyne was crying. She held his hand against her heart, her grip hard as if she was afraid he might vanish. He straightened up a little against his pillows, and with his other hand, searched for her shoulder. He bumped into her arm, and, acting as if that was what he'd meant to touch, turned her a little toward him. Lifting his head to look where he supposed her face was, he put his 'controlled composure' mask on to comfort her.

"It's going to be all right, Lyne. Don't worry about me. It will only take a few days of getting used to it."

"Stop that Iggy, please. You know you don't have to do that with me. And besides, you shouldn't be the one comforting me right now. Right now is the time to think about yourself."

Ignis needed to feel her in his arms, but didn't dare ask. How could he, after what he had become? He kept silent a moment, until he couldn't stand it any longer. He needed to feel her close to him.

"Please, would you be so kind as to help me remove these bandages?"

"I'm not sure... The healers said it would be best if you kept them on a few days more..."

"Let's be honest, if I'm going to be blind for the rest of my life, I don't think removing this thing now will make it any worse."

Sarcasm had always been one of his best weapons. This time he used it because he wanted to hear her laugh, but to no avail. Although, she stopped crying at once. He supposed that was a good start.

"Okay..."

She crept on the bed to kneel next to him. Although he dared not impose his touch on her, he could feel her presence right there, her aura comforting him.

"I'm going to touch your face. Is that okay?"

He was touched by her delicacy. He nodded. The touch of her fingers in his hair, against the skin of his cheeks, as she removed the bandages gently, meant the world to him in that instant. He almost leaned against the palm of her hand, remembering at the last second not to.

The dressing gone from his eyes, his head felt strangely light. He heard Lyne gasp, and his heart shattered at her reaction. Hesitantly, he lifted his hands to his face. A scar on his nose, another on his lower lip, one above his right eyebrow. His left eye shut tight, the scar there not even fully healed. And darkness. He could tell his right eye was open, but didn't perceive anything of his surroundings.

He lowered his head. How was he going to be any use to the group now? How could he help Noct?

"Where's Noct?"

"He's... Asleep. He was found unconscious, after his battle against Leviathan, and hasn't resurfaced since."

"Was there any other casualties?"

"Lady Lunafreya has disappeared. The Altissian authorities say she's dead, though they haven't given up the research yet."

He didn't answer right away, letting the news of what had happened sink in, revelling in the solace her presence offered him a few more seconds.

"Well, thank you for filling me in, Lyne. If you wish to go back to the others, I won't keep you here any more than necessary." he said, his tone blank.

This might be the hardest thing he'd made himself say in his whole life, but he had to. Had to give her the choice, because no matter what, a flicker of hope was still burning bright, deep in his heart.

"Why would I want to be with the others? It's with you I want to be, love." Hope burnt brighter at the tenderness in her voice. But he couldn't do that to her. Couldn't be a burden.

"Don't you see the two of us is not possible any more?" He all but whispered.

At first he thought she hadn't heard him. But then he felt hands on his shoulders, lips on his face, pressing soft kisses to his uninjured cheek, his forehead, his lips.

"What I see is the man I love, who has suffered some major injuries because his heart was too big to save his own life and let his girlfriend face the consequences of her own actions. I don't intend to go anywhere, unless you tell me you don't want me in your life anymore."

A single tear rolled down his cheek, soon followed by another, and before he knew it, Lyne had wrapped her arms around his head, cradling him against her chest while he cried for the first time since his mother's death years ago.

He couldn't say why exactly he was crying. Was it out of sadness for his lost eyesight? Out of relief because the woman he loved still wanted him in her life after what he had become? Or out of love for her and her altruism?

When he had no more tears in him he asked her help to get up and dress himself. She assisted him willingly, letting him try to do things by himself first and helping him when she saw it was too difficult. He had not had to rely on others for a long time, but if she truly wasn't disgusted with his present state he figured he should start to try and accept her help.

Once he was dressed, she helped him do his hair, and proposed to replace his usual spectacles with a pair of dark glasses, to which he gladly agreed.

"What do you want to do now?" She asked when he was ready.

"I would like to spend a moment with Noct, if it's okay with you."

"Sure." She started to take his arm, but let go of him suddenly. "Oh, wait, Prompto figured you might be needing this for a while."

He felt her put something in his hand. A cane. Though it was another blow to his injured heart, he had to admit it would come in handy.

"Thanks" he managed to reply.

She took his arm again, helping him to lead himself while he became used to trusting the point of his cane.

Once he was seated in the armchair in Noct's room, he asked for a moment alone with his King. He needed time to fathom all the implications of his new condition, but didn't want to make her feel like he was rejecting her. Of course, she accepted the dismissal without a remark, only telling him that she would be back in his room if he needed anything. Listening to her footsteps receding in the corridor, he wondered if he truly deserved her.

ooo

Lyne had been reading a book, trying to calm her nerves while waiting for Ignis to come back to their room. She hadn't even noticed she'd been reading the same paragraph for the past half hour. When she heard the doorknob click behind her, she jumped to her feet to help her boyfriend if he needed her. Looking at his still handsome features despite the injury, she could tell he was upset right away. His once beautiful turquoise eyes were expressionless, one shut and the other white, but the rest of his face conveyed all she needed to know. She couldn't blame him, after all he was going through. She walked to him, taking his hand to let him know she was here if need be, but he flinched at her contact. Saying nothing, he took his hand away, guiding himself through the room with the sole help of his cane.

Lyne wondered what had happened while he took a seat on the couch.

"Is everything all right darling? Is Noct awake?" she tried, her tone careful.

Ignis took a few seconds to regain his composure, and the sudden stillness of his expression told Lyne at once that something was awfully wrong.

"As a matter of fact he is. He confirmed to me that Lady Lunafreya has indeed passed away, and that she had just enough time to entrust him with the Ring of the Lucii. He also told me something rather... interesting, that Chancellor Izunia shared with him when they met during the Rite. Pray tell, _my love_ , when were you intending to inform me that you are the daughter of the Fulgurian?"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lyne stood there, in front of the love of her life, petrified.

He knew.

He knew and now was the time she had feared the most. The time for truth.

She stayed there, unable to avert her gaze from Ignis' expressionless face. She wanted to take every single one of his features in, before he rejected her for ever. The shape of his nose, his enticing lips, the way he lifted his chin when he was upset. How she craved to put her hands in his hair once more, to stroke his cheek, to bury her head into his strong neck while he cradled her… But all this was done, now and forever.

Ignis cleared his throat suddenly and that brought her back to her senses. Of course, he had no idea of the internal fight taking place in her mind…

"Are you still there?" His voice was clipped.

She shook her head, trying to stay focused. If Ignis deserved one thing, it was the complete truth.

"Yeah, sorry, I… I don't know where to begin." She lowered her head and sank to her knees, not even having the strength to walk to the armchair.

"So you don't deny what Chancellor Izunia said, then?"

"I… No. It's true. Ramuh is my father."

As if the Fulgurian had heard her, rain started to fall outside, splattering the window pane.

"I...see. Though that may not be an appropriate choice of words." he added dryly. "Is there anything else you have hidden from me?"

Taking a deep breath, Lyne forced her answer out.

"If you'll let me, I'll tell you everything from the beginning."

"I'm all ears."

When she was done telling him about her adoption, the death of her parents, her failed marriage, and the discovery of her parentage, she kept silent, waiting for his reaction. She hadn't even enough strength left in her to cry. She watched Ignis, who kept perfectly still all through her story, and even after she had stopped talking. With his dark glasses and the stillness of his features, she had no idea how he was reacting.

"Please, say something…" she whispered, his silence finally too much for her to bear.

"Pray excuse me, I was trying to process the fact that you've lied to me basically all the time we've known each other." He replied, an evil smirk on his lips.

"I know nothing I say will be enough to excuse what I did… But please believe me when I say that when I came to this world, I was all but divorced from that man, and my only wish was to take a fresh start… I saw that summoning as the best opportunity to forget about my past, but I had no intention of being false with you, or anyone… I hadn't expected to fall in love, but when I realised what I had with you, I was too afraid of losing you if I told you the truth… And as for my father, Ramuh had strictly forbidden me to reveal the truth to anyone, for fear of what might happen to me or to him… Apparently having children with humans is not really authorised among the Astrals, so..."

She realised she was starting to babble, and stopped talking at once.

"Do I even know you?" Came Ignis' final words, the hurt in his voice barely hidden behind a pretense of detachment.

Lyne couldn't bear it any longer. She managed to get to her feet, all but rushing out of the room, muttering a last "I'm sorry" as her tears started to fall.

Once in the corridor, she immediately thought of going to her father, but first, she owed an explanation to her other three friends. If they rejected her as well, then she would have no other choice but to leave.

Luckily, she found Gladio and Prompto in Noctis' room. That would make things easier. When she entered the room, she found three pairs of eyes looking at her in silence. She figured they had probably been talking about her, Noctis revealing to his friends what he'd just discovered.

"Hey." she said tentatively. Nobody answered. "Okay, I suppose you all know who I am by now… So huh, Ardyn didn't lie to you. I'm Ramuh's daughter. I discovered it when I disappeared that day in Fociaugh Hollow, he brought me to him and told me the truth. Also, he had forbidden me to tell anyone, especially you, Noct. His story with my biological mother was a secret, and the other Astrals don't know about me. He didn't want them to learn I existed through your mind, because he feared what they might do then. Oh, and another thing, because I reckon I owe you the whole truth about me now that you know my secret. In my previous life, when I was someone else, I was… married, to a man I didn't love any more and whom I was about to divorce. You ought to know because… That will explain a lot of things about Ignis' behaviour in the next days."

Nobody spoke. They kept looking at her, uneasy looks on their faces.

"Okay, I think it's time for me to leave… It was… nice having friends like you."

She turned to go, but just as she reached the door handle a big hand came from behind her to press against the wood.

"Where do you think you're going? We need you here." Gladio's voice was stern, but he had a kind look on his face.

"But I… You don't understand…"

"Remember what you told me that day at the camper, about being here to help me while you could?"

"I know, but… Things have changed…"

"For me, nothing has changed. Okay, you did hide a tiny little thing from us. But when a god forbids you to speak, I reckon you don't have much of a choice. That doesn't change who you are, at least for me. And about your past, I can see why you didn't mention it. The rest is between you and Iggy."

The big guy winked at her, and she couldn't help jumping in his arms, hugging him with all her strength. When she turned to look at the other two, Prompto was smiling shyly, and muttered that it was the same for him too. As for Noct, he didn't speak, and only nodded to her, telling her that he understood as well.

Ignis and her were done, but at least she still had three great friends. She wasn't going to let them down, even if that meant seeing the man she loved ignoring her for the rest of her time in Eos. She almost managed to give them a tiny smile, but the young king's voice froze her in her attempt:

"Wait, you just said that the other Astrals don't know about you but… Ardyn said it was Ifrit who told him who you are."

Just when she thought things could get any worse, her world crashed a little more. The Astrals knew of her existence, or at least, one of them did, and the most unfriendly one at that. How come she was still alive? Did Ifrit intend on hurting Ramuh through her? And if something happened to her father, apart from the fact that she would be heartbroken once again, how would Noct be able to fulfill his destiny? She would have to contact her father as soon as possible. And in the meanwhile, she needed to be even more watchful of the dangers surrounding them.

ooo

On the train taking them to Cartanica, the atmosphere was gloomy. Noctis had all but gone mute, which was infuriating Gladio, while Ignis was trying to get used to his blindness, not even complaining once. He hadn't clearly told Lyne that it was over between them, but after their last conversation in Altissia, he had been constantly avoiding being alone with her. The night before they left for Niflheim, as she was close to tears once again, Gladio had told her to be patient with him, that he would forgive her eventually. But the truth was she had given up hope. When she looked at him, unnoticed thanks to his new condition, she craved to touch him, cradle him, tell him it would be all right eventually and that she would always be here for him. Her heart ached seeing him struggle with his surroundings, trying to find his way on his own with his cane, his head hung low.

Things got even worse when Gladio lost his temper at Noctis for refusing to put the Ring of the Lucii on. On the one hand, Lyne understood why the King's shield reacted that way. They had all lost something, or someone, and Noct's reaction could seem childish in a way. But on the other hand, she understood why the young king felt so lost and frightened. He'd just lost the woman he had sworn to protect, only because he was to fulfill a prophecy he wanted nothing to do with.

She watched, helpless, as Gladio went one way, and Noct the other. She wanted to do something for once, and staying here with Prompto and Ignis was not an option. Not that she disliked the blonde guy, but she had never been so close to being alone with the royal advisor, and that made her feel even more uncomfortable.

"I'm… gonna check if Noct's okay." she muttered, getting up and all but running after the young king.

She found him a few cars farther, seething on his own. She didn't know what she was going to say, but she had to try, had to feel useful again.

"Hey," she said tentatively.

"What?" He snapped when he saw her, immediately regretting his reaction. "Sorry Lyne, I didn't mean…"

"I know, it's okay. It's not me you're mad at, I get it."

"I'm not mad at you. But I need to tell you, if you're here to tell me to 'pull my head outta my ass', you might as well be on your way."

"No, on the contrary. I wanted to tell you that… I know how you feel… Kind of."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Being the Chosen King, the one who will bring back the Light and defeat the Darkness… I know you didn't ask for it, didn't ask for people to sacrifice themselves for you."

"I just… Wanted to protect her…"

She could tell by his tone he was trying not to cry in front of her. His fists were two balls, his knuckles white with tension. Sympathetic, she put her hand on his shoulder.

"You did your best, I know you did. But sometimes… Even our best isn't enough. But looking back is no use. I try to tell myself we have to go forward and try to make things better with what we have. Even when it's hard. It's my mantra when I don't feel well. 'If I look back I am lost'. You have no idea how often I keep repeating this these days." She added, forcing a chuckle past her lips. "And look at me, I never asked to be the daughter of an Astral. But I have no other choice but to deal with that, even if it means my life now that Ifrit knows. People might get hurt too, my father might get hurt, and that would have horrible consequences, but if I dwell too much on this, fear paralyses me, and I can't go on."

"I think I see what you mean. Thanks Lyne", he replied with a forced smile.

"Glad I could help a little" she said truthfully.

She stayed by Ignis' side while they were looking for the tomb in the abandoned mine. Whenever an enemy got too close, she killed it instantly with her power, never letting harm come to him. He didn't seem to be aware of her presence near him, too busy fighting with his invisible surroundings, and she was careful not to let him know she was there, for fear that he would tell her to go mind her own business.

They had to camp in the mine that night. Lyne took upon her to cook for the group, even though on her own she was a mediocre cook at best. Her heart sank a little more in her chest when Ignis decreed he wasn't hungry and went to bed straight away.

She couldn't stand it any more. She had to talk to him. Their situation was bad enough as it was, it would be best if they could at least stop ignoring each other, maybe remain friends.

Determined to set things right, she entered the tent, clearing her throat to make her presence known. He was already in his sleeping bag. He sighed, not bothering to sit up to talk face to face with her.

"Please Lyne, I beg you. Our situation is already bad, I don't think we need you to add some petty drama to it."

She didn't even tell farewell to the other guys before warping to the Astral Plane.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Gladio was mad at everyone.

He was mad at Noctis, because instead of living up to his legacy, the young king was wallowing in his grief, acting like a child after so many people had given up their lives just to help him fulfill his destiny. The mere sight of him sulking like a brat, refusing to put on the Ring of the Lucii that Lady Lunafreya had died to deliver to him, infuriated him, and he had to use all of his self-control not to punch him in the face.

He was mad at Ignis for his reaction to what Lyne had revealed to him. She'd been honest to him, even though she had waited a bit too long, and he had not even tried to understand her. Instead, he had rejected her so hard that the young woman had chosen to go without a word. Even though his friend was displaying astounding bravery seeing his new condition, the mere thought of what he'd told Lyne only to hurt her made his blood boil. Besides, he didn't see how the royal advisor could manage to remain with them, now that he was blind, and his stubbornness in accompanying them was driving him crazy.

He was mad at Lyne for going without a word, after telling him that she would be there to help him while she could. They needed her, she was their friend, and she hadn't even taken the time to tell them where she was going, and if she was ever coming back. He had packed her things just in case, but he couldn't help feeling betrayed at the young woman leaving them like that. He had only seen the flash of lightning, and before he could understand what was happening Ignis was explaining to him in a blank tone that she was gone.

He was mad at Prompto for trying to make things right and acting as if everything was fine. Everything was shit right now, and even though most of the time he welcomed Prompto's good nature and cheerfulness, this time it was too much for him. He knew the young blonde had nothing to do with their situation, at least not directly, but he couldn't help feeling irritated at his behaviour every fucking time he attempted to bring fun back into the group.

But most of all, Gladio was mad at himself. Because he had let Ignis date her in the first place, he had failed to protect Lyne, never even thinking his friend would break her heart. Had he prevented this from happening, the young woman would still be with them, bringing them the support they needed and comforting them with her presence. Comforting him.

Ignis had told them that she was probably gone to the Astral Plane, but Gladio had no idea how to contact her, how to let her know that they still needed her and that he wanted her to come back. He had heard his sister Iris talk about how you sometimes could reach the astral plane through deep meditation and focus, but he wasn't good with this kind of thing. And it seemed nobody in the group was in any state of mind to try and reach her. He felt powerless, and that was probably the worst.

ooo

They had managed to collect the weapon hidden in the heart of the mine, and were about to go back to the train station. Ignis, irritated by the way his companions were acting, had made things clear with them, telling them that he would remain with them for as long as possible. The situation was far from ideal, but now Gladio would stop trying to make him bow out, and he would probably leave Noct alone for a while, at least until the young king was ready to become who he was supposed to be.

There were still two big problems in Ignis' life right now, and even though he tried not to dwell on them too much, they kept popping back into his mind every once in a while without his wanting to. His blindness for one, he would have to get used to, promising himself to stay with his king until the end, and helping him in whatever way he could.

And as for the hole in his heart, the best he could do was stop thinking about it altogether, for fear of being overwhelmed by anger and regret.

For some reason, the way back to the train station was twice as hard for Ignis. He kept getting attacked without really being able to defend himself, while on the way down he had seemed to be doing well at keeping the foes at bay. This made him feel even more useless as he got painfully back on his feet after being knocked to the ground for the hundredth time by an unseen enemy.

Gladio came to his help, pulling him by the wrist to make him stand.

"Thanks Gladio" he said to his friend, still uneasy each time one of his companions had to come to his aid.

"Not so easy for you now that Lyne's not around anymore to take the monsters down before they reach you, huh?" the royal shield replied, somewhat dryly.

Ignis had no idea what he was talking about, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

They spent the night in Cartanica, at Gladio's request. Officially he'd told them he could see their trip in the mine had worn out Ignis, but everyone knew without saying it aloud that he was only hoping Lyne would come back.

They were eating in the restaurant car, Prompto trying to no avail to lighten up the mood with his pictures, only to be met with silence in return. Ignis heard Noctis sigh, push his plate away, and get up, telling his friends that he wasn't hungry and he was going to bed.

Prompto soon followed his friend, sounding more down than ever when he bid them good night, and leaving Gladio and Ignis alone with the gloom.

An awkward silence settled between the two friends. Ignis didn't feel like breaking it.

"Need help to find your way to your bed?" the big guy growled next to him.

"No, thank you Gladio, but I think I'll stay here a little bit." Ignis replied. He could hear the surprise in Gladio's voice when he answered him.

"You know that waiting here and exhausting yourself won't bring her back, right?"

"And pray tell, what makes you think I want her back?" Ignis snickered. He didn't even recognise his own voice.

"Iggy, you're one of the best friends I've ever had but if you don't stop being such a jerk I think I'm gonna punch you in the face, blind or not. We both know you've been regretting what you said the second you said it, and we both know you had forgiven Lyne long before we even came to Niflheim. What I don't know though is why you've been treating her that way, but maybe you should start reflecting on that, before it's too late."

Ignis kept silent. Once he'd heard the door close and was sure he was quite alone, he sighed to himself, almost sobbing:

"It's already too late…"

ooo

They'd lost Prompto.

Ardyn had done something to Noct's mind, and the young king had unintentionally pushed his friend off the train. Even though there was nothing they could do about it right now, Ignis couldn't help worrying for their companion. Was he still alive? Had he been left behind, or had the Empire taken him?

Upon arriving in Tenebrae, he asked his friends for some time alone. He felt like his head was about to burst and needed to sort out his thoughts, and quick.

"You sure you'll be alright Iggy? There are no guardrails over here." Gladio sounded worried, but Ignis was past caring. What if he fell? At least the pain would end.

"Thank you Gladio, but I think I'll manage" he made himself reply.

He didn't really care where he was going, merely walking away from the noise of the refugees, assuming he would find some peace and welcomed loneliness if he did.

He stopped when he felt the cold breeze on his cheeks, guessing he was near the precipice. Dropping to his knees, he felt tears falling from his eye, his throat so tight he could barely breathe.

"Oh my love", he sobbed."I have no idea if you are still in Eos, or if I could reach you, should I try to. I only wish I could tell you just how deeply sorry I am."

A few silent seconds passed, with the tears rolling freely from Ignis' eye.

"Then do..." came a voice behind him. As he jumped at the startling sound, his sharpened ears couldn't help noticing that it sounded like his love's voice, but not quite. In those two words there had been a kind of power, some sort of echo, as if it came from another world.

He wanted to stand and run to her, touch her, take her in his arms, but made himself stay still. He tried to calm his sobs, and willed himself to breathe deeply. Once. Twice. He opened his heart.

"You are the love of my life. I've been aware of that since the very day we met. I was ready to give you my everything. And when I learned you belonged to another, I thought my heart had broken. I thought I wanted to leave you, to hurt you. If only I had understood that I had forgiven you even before we left Altissia... But I was in pain, both physical and in my heart, and it made me act as I have always had. I tried to crush my feelings to focus on my duty. What I had learned about you afflicted me, thus making me weak. And… Added to my physical weakness, this turned out to be too much to take. Of course, I know full well that this is no justification for my loathsome words. I feel like there will never be enough apologies in the world to tell you just how appalled I am at my own despicable behaviour. I know now that you were there for me, helping me and watching over me, even as I despised you, and... I feel pathetic. I am pathetic. I had no idea what a broken heart was until you left. Even if I cannot see you any longer, the mere absence of you is unbearable. I do not care if you belong to another, I am ready to take whatever you feel me worthy of having."

At first only silence answered him. He could hear the breeze in some nearby trees, feel the wind on the wetness of his cheek. He thought that maybe he had dreamed her presence, and that he had only been talking to the ghost of his lost love. His shoulders slumped, and he found himself on the verge of tears once again.

But then he felt a small hand on his shoulder, and another on his cheek. He hadn't even heard her approach, but he didn't care about his handicap right now. She was there, she was touching him, and that was all that mattered. He managed to find her face with his trembling hands, and realised that she was crying too. That broke his restraint. Pulling her to him gently, he cradled her on his lap, and she didn't offer any resistance. Removing his gloves, he let his hands travel on the skin of her shoulders, on her face, in her hair, taking in the shape of her nose, of her cheeks, discovering her anew. It had never felt so good to touch her, to breathe in her sweet flowery scent. The fabric of her clothes felt weird, it was unlike anything he remembered seeing her wear. She raked her fingers in his hair, and leaned in to press a tender kiss to his lips. He returned it eagerly, having been deprived of the softness of her mouth for too long.

When they parted, panting slightly, she spoke, all trace of an otherworldly touch gone from her voice:

"Just so you know, I do not belong to another. You're the one I belong to."

A mischievous smile crept on Ignis' lips as he answered:

"Would you care to repeat those words in the intimacy of a hotel bedroom?"


	16. Chapter 16 - NSFW

Chapter 16 - NSFW

When Gladio saw Ignis come toward them, arm in arm with a young woman, he didn't understand at first. Who was this woman walking so close to his friend, guiding him, and from what he could see, making him smile? As the two of them got closer though, the features of the young woman looked more familiar to him. But her bearing, her clothes, were different. She walked tall and as if she was floating, her ethereal air enhanced by the weird fabric of her clothes. When she'd left, she'd been wearing a simple brown tank top, a pair of black skinny jeans and high heeled boots that Gladio had no idea how she could run and jump in those. Now she was wearing a simple dress of an undefined colour as it changed with the light (at first Gladio thought it was blue, but with her next step it looked green, and then grey). It went down to her knees, revealing her bare feet as she walked in the grass. The fabric looked light, and she moved like she was wearing nothing at all. When she came to a stop before the two of them, Gladio noticed that her eyes had changed too. Beyond her bright blue eyes, there was something more, belonging to another world.

"Lyne? Is that really you?" Noctis asked before Gladio could say a word.

"It is me." She replied with a smile. "Before anything, I wanted to tell you guys that I'm really sorry I left, especially without telling you. That won't happen again."

Gladio suddenly realised that he was not longer angry with the young woman. All he felt was joy at seeing their companion again. And relief at seeing the look on Ignis' face.

"Nah, it's okay. We're glad to have you back." He found himself telling her.

"You look... different." said Noctis.

"I suppose this has to do with the time I spent in the astral plane. Living with gods must have some side effects. How long was I gone in this world?"

"Three days, although it felt much longer to me, love." came Ignis' answer. She smiled to him, and suddenly seemed to remember that he couldn't see her, lifting her free hand to let it rest on Ignis'.

"Time is really strange there. It feels like I spent much more than that. Anyway," she added, "Travelling back to Eos left me exhausted. Iggy told me there is some sort of hotel over there, so if it's okay with you, i'd like to rest a little before we go."

Noctis mumbled a 'sure', shifting his attention back to Aranea, who was lurking not far from them, waiting to introduce the men who would drive the train from now on.

As Lyne and Ignis walked away, Gladio couldn't prevent his smirk and the comment from leaving his lips.

"She looked perfectly rested to me though..."

ooo

They didn't exchange a single word while they made their way to the train wagon serving as a hotel. Lyne could feel a delicious warmth spreading in her loins as anticipation grew between them.

As soon as the door of their bedroom was closed and locked, Lyne felt Ignis' hands circling her waist. Pushing her hair out of the way, he kissed her earlobe, then the back of her neck, sending shivers through her whole body with that simple contact. She felt her heart break a little at how hesitant his movements seemed at first, promising herself to help him as best she could. But then he purred against her skin:

"So, my kitten, I seem to recall that you've been a bad girl, lying to me and then disappearing…"

The mention of what had happened should have made her angry all over again, but it didn't, instead sending another wave of heat through her limbs as his hands made their way to her breasts, the movements of his fingers more assured by the second. Lyne gasped when he pinched one of her nipples through the thin fabric of her dress.

"Well?" Ignis growled against her neck, not letting go of her hardening nipple, but making it roll between his thumb and forefinger.

"Yes…" Lyne managed to sigh, the feeling already overwhelming.

Seeming satisfied with her answer, Ignis released her, and turned her around so that she faced him. Immediately, he was on her, pinning her to the door of the little bedroom while he savaged her neck with kisses and bites, taking both her hands in one of his and keeping them against the door above their heads. Despite his impairment, he was still the same strong man, able to dominate her if he wished to, and that thought, combined with how much she had missed him, gave her another surge of desire. She moaned softly under his touch, and arched her back to grind her hips against his.

Ignis immediately stopped what he'd been doing, pinching her nipple again with his free hand.

"Don't move. Don't touch me. Not unless I tell you to." He said, his head still in the crook of her neck.

She did as she was told, while Ignis started kissing and biting her again, going at an excruciatingly slow pace from her neck to her shoulder, while undoing the strap of her dress to gain better access to the top of her breast. Lyne could tell her lover needed this, needed to be in control of something, to let go of all his frustrations, and she was more than happy to help. He had never talked to her that way, but by the way her body was reacting to it, she had to admit she liked that new facet of him.

Suddenly the contact of his hands on her skin was gone, as he started to unbutton his shirt, discarding his suit jacket without ceremony. She craved to give him a hand, and unbuckle his belt, but she fought hard to obey his last command, standing still as he removed his layers of clothing, his mouth never leaving her skin. She felt him grip the fabric of her dress, and one smooth pull over her head later, she found herself in her underwear before her boyfriend. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was almost naked, and Lyne heard his breathing quicken in his throat. He was no longer touching her, as if he was hesitating, his hands hovering over her skin. The anticipation of his contact was killing her.

When she felt his ungloved hands on her belly, she couldn't hold back a gasp. Fighting against her need to touch him, it was all she could do to remain still as his fingers discovered her body again, travelling across her waist, her hips, her breasts, so softly it was almost torture. She wondered briefly if he was doing this on purpose, or if it was only his new way of touching her, but her train of thoughts soon vanished into oblivion as Ignis took one of her nipples in his mouth, suckling on it until it was standing to attention. Lyne bit her lip to keep her moan inside her throat. All of a sudden she felt teeth on her sensitive nipple, a cry escaping her this time.

"Don't hold your sounds from me." He tutted, resuming his gentle suckling while his fingers kept reacquainting themselves with her butt, her thighs, stroking softly her pelvis but never coming close to touch her slit.

Leaving her erect nipples alone, his kisses went down to her belly, as Ignis slowly moved to a kneeling position in front of her, his hands taking hold of her panties to slide them down her legs, only to grip them and part them more. As she was obeying meekly his silent command, she clenched her fists, fighting with all her might the urge to rake her fingers in his dark blonde hair. The view of him half naked, kneeling in front of her with the sole aim of pleasuring her, was so sexy, she feared she would come at the first touch to her already dripping sex.

Making sure she was stable by pressing a hand on her belly, Ignis took hold of her right leg and hooked it on his shoulder, his lips getting closer to her loins in the process. Lyne took a deep breath, anticipating the contact as she felt his hot breath against her open folds.

When he kissed her clit, it was a dozen times more intense than she'd expected. She moaned his name, trying to keep her balance as her legs felt weak suddenly. Ignis steadied her with a firm hand, while his tongue started to circle her clit. Panting, she moaned and mewled, no longer able to refrain herself under her lover's ministrations. When he inserted one finger inside her, she gasped once more, feeling close to her release. He pumped in and out of her while doing wonders on her sensitive clit, soon adding another finger and curling it to reach just the right spot. She was close to the edge, she could feel it in all her fibers. Carried away by the intensity of it all, she gave him the mistake he seemed to be waiting for, stroking his hair in a soft gesture.

Ignis' reaction and punishment was immediate. His hot touch was replaced by cold hair, and she whined at the feeling of being denied her release. He stood, towering over her, an odd mix of displeasure and satisfaction plain on his face.

"Well, well, aren't we being a bad girl again… What did I tell you?" He whispered, getting close to her again, and pinning her to the door once more.

"I'm sorry love, I tried to resist, but… what you were doing was too intense, and you were so sexy, I couldn't help myself…"

Ignis didn't give her the time to finish her explanation. His mouth was on hers, giving her the most passionate kiss ever, parting her lips to explore the softness of her mouth with his tongue. It was raw desire on his part, and it aroused her even more, along with the fact that she could taste herself on his tongue. She had never seen him so dominant before, and it was something she was not going to forget any time soon.

In the middle of the bliss he was bringing her, she heard the sound of a zipper from a distance. She was mildly aware of Ignis removing his pants, never breaking the kiss while he finished undressing.

She felt his hands on the back of her thighs, and suddenly her feet didn't touch the ground anymore.

"You can touch me now, but holding only. No stroking or kissing." He growled under his breath, while lining himself with her dripping entrance, not waiting for her answer to enter her. He had her moaning his name just with the head of his cock parting her folds. The feeling was so delicious, she had yearned for this for so long, she knew she wasn't going to last long.

"You like feeling my cock entering you, don't you, kitten?" It was so surprising to hear Ignis talk dirty, but at the same time it was so hot, she loved the sound of his voice, lower than his usual tone.

"Yes…" she managed to moan, savouring the feeling as he buried himself to the hilt in the warmth of her pussy.

"Tell me how you feel now, kitten…"

Lyne had never done this before. Talking during sex was not something she was used to, and it felt strange to her. But with his sight gone, she knew she had to do it if it was important for him. Besides, the novelty of it all aroused her even more.

"I like the way your big cock fills me to the brim, it's so g-good…" She managed to reply, as he started to thrust into her at a slow but steady pace, hitting just the right spot of her walls as she clung to him desperately, her legs hooked around his waist and her arms clinging to his neck.

The grunts Ignis was emitting were extremely sexy. He was usually silent while he made love to her, but she supposed that was before. The man making love to her was a completely different being, and that was fine with her.

"Now tell me, who do you belong to, my kitten?" he asked her, speeding up the pace as he was chasing his release.

His thrusts became stronger as well as faster, hitting her G-spot each time. She'd been so close, there was no way she could hold her orgasm any longer.

"I belong to you, only you Iggy, Ah, this is so good!" She cried, not giving a damn if someone outside could hear them or not.

Her walls clenched around his shaft as she rode the most intense orgasm of her life, and that was all Ignis had needed to find his very own release. He came with a loud moan, pumping in and out of her as she milked him until he had nothing more to give.

When Ignis stopped moving inside of her, she dared a kiss on his shoulder, assuming his command had expired. She felt a hand on her cheek, and straightened her head to look at him. Confident Ignis was gone, replaced by a blind and lost man, who wore a look of slight confusion at the moment.

"I suppose I got a little carried away just now. I apologise for my inappropriate behaviour, my love."

Lyne couldn't refrain the snort that escaped her lips.

"Honey, that was the best sex I've ever had in my whole life, so there is no need to apologise. You can get 'a little carried away' whenever you want, really."

He chuckled softly, and that was a pleasant sound to hear after so much time without it. Even though his milky eye remained expressionless, the rest of his handsome face did the work instead. He kissed her tenderly, mirroring what he'd only just silently told her.

"I love you so much. When I'm with you I feel like being blind is not the end of the world, like I can still make a difference."

"Of course you can, my love with or without me", she replied, her throat tightening at his words. "You're the bravest man I've ever met, and I know you can overcome just about anything."

He gave her a genuine smile, the first since Altissia, and she felt a tear escaping her eye. Fighting the urge to get a bit too emotional again, Lyne felt it was time for a bit of humour.

"Hum, so, just so I know, are we going to spend the night against that door, or are we going to make it to the bed at some point?"


End file.
